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Beyonce Ft J.Cole - Party

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), often known simply as Beyoncé (pronounced /biˈjɒn.seɪ/ bee-YON-say), is an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During the hiatus of Destiny's Child in 2003 Knowles released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love, which spawned the number one hits "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy", and became one of the most successful albums of that year, earning her a then record-tying five Grammy Awards. Following the group's disbandment in 2005, Knowles released B'Day in 2006, which debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and included the hits "Déjà Vu" and "Irreplaceable". Her third solo album I Am... Sasha Fierce, released in November 2008, included the anthemic "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", and earned her six Grammy Awards, breaking the record for most Grammy awards won by a female artist in one night. Knowles is one of the most-honored artists by the Grammys, with 16 awards— 13 as a solo artist, and three as a member of Destiny's Child.

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T2 Ft Addictive - Gonna Be Mine

T2 is a British garage/bassline/experimental record producer from Leeds. He has been mixing since his teens, and began releasing tracks in 2004. He is signed to management team NVA Management, owners of the record label 2NV. In 2007, his single "Heartbroken", featuring Jodie Aysha, hit #2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song became popular among football fans because its video, which has had over 3 million hits on YouTube, featured stars Micah Richards and Anton Ferdinand. T2 rewrote the lyrics of the tune late in 2007 in support of Ricky Hatton's boxing match against Floyd Mayweather./nIn 2008, T2 joined up with Addictive to release Gonna Be Mine on 10 March 2008, and is also producing most of their upcoming album, which nay be named Dangerzone. He is also working with artists such as Madonna, Natasha Bedingfield, Alesha Dixon, and Kate Nash. He is also set to work with Cheryl Cole, who reportedly was unhappy when he put off her recording sessions with him in favour of Alesha Dixon.Songs Produced By T2/n"Why" ft Sharnell & Danica "It's Not Easy" Ft David A. "Baby Girl" Ft Tez Kidd And Asher "What Can I Do" Ft Tamzin Challenger "Fire"(Remix)- Ny "Secrets"(Remix)-Booda ft. Becky Rhodes "Merry Happy (Remix) - Kate Nash "Hooked On You" ft Addictive "The Feeling" ft. Addictive & Dizzee Rascal "Candy Rain" ft. Addictive "Come Over" ft. Michelle "My Baby's Song" ft. Tamzin "Secrets" (Funky Remix)- Booda ft. Becky Rhodes/nReleases:/n * 2007: "The Monster Dubz EP" * 2007: "Heartbroken" (T2 Ft Jodie Aysha) #2 UK * 2008: "Gonna be Mine" (Addictive Ft T2) #47 UK * 2008: "Butterflies" * 2009: "Come Over" (T2 ft. Michelle Escoffery) TBR

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Beyoncé - Love On Top

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), often known simply as Beyoncé (pronounced /biˈjɒn.seɪ/ bee-YON-say), is an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During the hiatus of Destiny's Child in 2003 Knowles released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love, which spawned the number one hits "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy", and became one of the most successful albums of that year, earning her a then record-tying five Grammy Awards. Following the group's disbandment in 2005, Knowles released B'Day in 2006, which debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and included the hits "Déjà Vu" and "Irreplaceable". Her third solo album I Am... Sasha Fierce, released in November 2008, included the anthemic "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", and earned her six Grammy Awards, breaking the record for most Grammy awards won by a female artist in one night. Knowles is one of the most-honored artists by the Grammys, with 16 awards— 13 as a solo artist, and three as a member of Destiny's Child.

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Ashley Walters Interview With Kideso 2010

Ashley Walters Interview With Kideso 2010 visit kideso magazine for the full story...

Runtime: 28m:45s

Shaggy feat. Marsha - Piece Of My Heart

Marsha is a reggae artist from the sunny country of Jamaica. Marsha has a unique and beautiful singing voice and is also a nice person. At this point in time Marsha is putting out her talent for all to hear, see and enjoy - she has been collaborating with top artists like Loon, the sweet Lady Saw, and the man himself Shaggy - mister lover lover - sure you remember that song. Shaggys album the Roots which Marsha has been featuring on - she has also been featuring on P-Diddy's album. Marsha's latest single is out - titled 'trouble in paradise' keep your eyes on Marsha she is a rising star - coming soon - keep checking for more right here.

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Raymond Wright Tribute 2 Gregory Isaac -part 2

Jamaican born from St. Catherine, Jamaica. Raymond started his career by playing a variety of musical instruments and singing in his local church in Jamaica. He also conducted singing lessons to the local church choir. His Spiritual devotion and love for the Church, led him to study Theology, which he successfully obtained a Theological Degree! Raymond had another passion, Music and Singing. He decides to follow his heart to pursuit a career with in the Music Industry. Shoking Vibes Crew: Raymond Wright started working with “Shocking Vibes Crew”, in 1998-2001 Under the management of Patrick Roberts, who also handled the careers of Beenie Man, Bling Dog, Tanto Metro and Devonte. During the three years that Raymond worked under the Management of “Shocking Vibes Crew”, he appeared at various local gigs and major concerts in Jamaica and throughout Europe, as well released a number of singles on the local Independent market in Jamaica, song titles, “To H.I.M.”, “When you call on me”, “Just for Love” and “Always”. Other Single Tracks include “Always,” “Critic Highway” and “Honey” feat. “Twiggy.” Music Producer collaborations were, “Sly Dunbar,” “Jack Radics”, “Fitzroy McKenzy”, “Pirana” and “Barry O’Hare” Raymond parted company with “Shocking Vibes Crew” in 2001 when he went to Italy to perform at “Rototom Sun splash”. He is currently living in Italy. During this time, he released another album, "Point Black" under the label of “Rasta Snob Records,” also in the local independent market. Raymond currently performs at various local and other European gigs and events. A Stand still: After many promises and dead ends, ones identifiable within the music Industry, together with poor and unsupported decision-making, (the decisions one makes during clouded moments), proved to be a major setback in Raymond’s Recording Career and Life, but mostly, caused serious delays with his Recording Career. However, Raymond remained Focused and Motivated due to the Love for his Music and the Achievement toward his Ultimate Goals, despite all the Disappointments. Inspiration “Jah gives a simple and right word in every situation in regards to the birth of my songs. My children help me to maintain focus and to write songs of love and education.” Raymond continues, “While the world goes on, he says, it is quite simple for humanity to be at peace with each other when we invoke the most important ingredient, called LOVE and I love spreading this message through my music and share it with all.” He goes on to say, “in my heart, I am always looking to find the “Better Place”, there is still beauty in the world if we look deep enough, places, people and the special moments of life that you share with your loved ones, all of this inspires me and motivates me to write and sing my songs”. “ I believe in Truth, Love, and Respect and that is how I see the world"…

Runtime: 9m:38s

Beyoncé - Run The World (Girls)

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), often known simply as Beyoncé (pronounced /biˈjɒn.seɪ/ bee-YON-say), is an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During the hiatus of Destiny's Child in 2003 Knowles released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love, which spawned the number one hits "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy", and became one of the most successful albums of that year, earning her a then record-tying five Grammy Awards. Following the group's disbandment in 2005, Knowles released B'Day in 2006, which debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and included the hits "Déjà Vu" and "Irreplaceable". Her third solo album I Am... Sasha Fierce, released in November 2008, included the anthemic "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", and earned her six Grammy Awards, breaking the record for most Grammy awards won by a female artist in one night. Knowles is one of the most-honored artists by the Grammys, with 16 awards— 13 as a solo artist, and three as a member of Destiny's Child.

Runtime: 4m:50s

Gorillaz - Stylo

Gorillaz are a British virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn of Britpop band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl. The band is composed of four animated band members: 2D (lead vocalist, keyboard), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar and occasional vocals) and Russel Hobbs (drums and percussion). The band's music is a collaboration between various musicians, Albarn being the only permanent musical contributor. Their style is a composition of multiple musical genres, with a large number of their influences including: dub, hip hop, alternative rock, electronic and pop music. The band's eponymous debut album, released in 2001, sold over seven million copies and earned them an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Successful Virtual Band. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize 2001, but the nomination was later withdrawn at the band's request. Their second studio album, Demon Days, was released in 2005 and included the singles "Feel Good Inc.", "Dare", "Dirty Harry" and "Kids with Guns"/"El Mañana". Demon Days went five times platinum in the UK, double platinum in the United States and earned five Grammy Award nominations for 2006 and won one of them in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category. Gorillaz have also released two B-sides compilations and a remix album. The combined sales of Gorillaz and Demon Days had, by 2007, exceeded 15 million albums. The band's third studio album, titled Plastic Beach, was released in 2010.Early years (1998–1999) Gorillaz co-creator Damon Albarn, 2007 Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett created Gorillaz in 1998 when they were both living together in a flat on Westbourne Grove. The idea to create the band came about when the two were watching MTV, "if you watch MTV for too long, it's a bit like hell – there's nothing of substance there. So we got this idea for a cartoon band, something that would be a comment on that," Hewlett said. The band originally identified themselves as "Gorilla", and the first song they recorded was "Ghost Train", later released as a B-side on their single "Rock the House" and the B-side compilation G-Sides. The trio of musicians behind Gorillaz' first incarnation, Albarn, Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Dan the Automator, had previously worked together on the track "Time Keeps on Slipping" for Deltron 3030's eponymous debut album. The song can be seen as the genesis of the musical style that continued into Gorillaz' first album.Phase One: Celebrity Takedown (2000–2003) The band's first release was Tomorrow Comes Today EP, released in 2000. "Clint Eastwood" Play sound "Clint Eastwood" exemplifies the mix of musical styles found on the band's debut album, combining hip hop, rock, electronic and dub influences. The verses are rapped by Del tha Funkee Homosapien and the chorus is sung by 2D (Damon Albarn). Problems listening to this file? See media help. The band's first single, "Clint Eastwood", was released on 5 March 2001. Later that same month, their first full-length album, the self-titled Gorillaz, was released, producing four singles: "Clint Eastwood", "19-2000", "Tomorrow Comes Today", and "Rock the House". "19-2000 (Soulchild Remix)" became popular after being featured in both an Ice Breakers commercial, as well as in EA Sports' FIFA Football 2002. Around this time, a half-hour TV mockumentary entitled Charts of Darkness was released. It follows Channel 4 news reporter Krishnan Guru-Murthy attempting to track down Albarn and Hewlett after they were placed in an insane asylum. The end of the year brought the song "911", a collaboration between the Gorillaz and rap artists D12 (without Eminem) and Terry Hall about the September 11 attacks. Meanwhile G-Sides, a compilation of the B-sides from the Tomorrow Comes Today EP and first three singles, was released in Japan on 12 December 2001 and quickly followed with international releases in early 2002. The new year also saw the band perform at the 2002 BRIT Awards, appearing in 3D animation on four large screens along with rap accompaniment by Phi Life Cypher. The band were nominated for six awards at the event, including Best British Group, Best British Album and Best British Newcomer, but left the award show empty-handed. Finally, Laika Come Home, a dub remix album, containing most of the tracks from Gorillaz reworked by Spacemonkeyz, was released in June 2002. The single to follow, "Lil' Dub Chefin'", contained an original track by the Spacemonkeyz titled "Spacemonkeyz Theme". In November 2002, a DVD titled Phase One: Celebrity Take Down was released. The DVD contains the four Phase One promos, the abandoned video for "5/4", the Charts of Darkness documentary, the five Gorilla Bitez (short vignettes), a tour of the website by the MEL 9000 server and more. The DVD's menu was designed much like the band's website and depicts an abandoned Kong Studios. Rumors were circulating at this time that the Gorillaz team were busy preparing a film, but an EMI interview, they later revealed that plans for the film were abandoned. In an interview with Haruka Kuroda (the voice of Noodle), Kuroda stated that Jamie Hewlett rejected many scripts before giving up on the film. Hewlett later explained why the film was abandoned, "We lost all interest in doing it as soon as we started meeting with studios and talking to these Hollywood executive types, we just weren't on the same page. We said, fuck it, we'll sit on the idea until we can do it ourselves, and maybe even raise the money ourselves."Phase Two: Slowboat to Hades (2004–2007) On 8 December 2004, the band's website reopened with an exclusive video entitled "Rock It". Along with the music video, there was an announcement of a new album on the way, which would be produced by Danger Mouse. A talent contest entitled Search for a Star was also launched on 15 December 2004, allowing fans to send in a minute-long clip of video or audio or an image file. A viral marketing project named Reject False Icons was formed criticizing modern pop figures. The first single from the album was "Feel Good Inc.", released as an EP in Japan and as a CD single in Europe and Australia. The single entered the UK Singles Chart at #22, several weeks before the CD single was released due to the single being released as a 7" vinyl in April, and new charts regulations included sales at online music stores, where the song had been available since 22 March. "Feel Good Inc." managed to reach #2 in the UK Singles Chart the week it was released, being the band's highest ever positioned single up to that point in time. The single stayed in the top ten for eight consecutive weeks. In the United States, it peaked at #14. The song also garnered a Record of the Year nomination for the 2006 Grammy Awards later that year. It was later included in the popular Playstation 2 title SingStar, a game where players attempt to sing along karaoke style. It was also recently included on Activision´s Guitar Hero 5 and was released as downloadable content on Harmonix and MTV Games' Rock Band. The album, Demon Days, was released on 11 May 2005 in Japan, 23 May in the United Kingdom and Australia, and on 24 May in the United States. The album debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart, but fell as low as #29 in just seven weeks. However, as the music video for the second single "DARE" started getting played on MTV and other music channels, Demon Days rose up to the top 10 again. "DARE" was released on 29 August 2005 in the UK, where it debuted at #1. A Japanese EP followed on 7 September. "DARE" eventually reached #87 in the United States, also becoming a Top 10 hit on the Modern Rock listings. Shortly afterwards, Gorillaz contributed an exclusive track entitled "Hong Kong" to the charity compilation Help!: A Day in the Life released on 10 September 2005. The third single off Demon Days was "Dirty Harry", which had already been released as a promotional single earlier that year. It was released in the United Kingdom on 21 November 2005. On its first week, it charted at #6. The release of the single raised the album once again back up to the top 10. The fourth and final single was the double A-side, "Kids with Guns"/"El Mañana". It was released in the UK on 10 April 2006. Unlike its Top 10 predecessors, "Kids With Guns" / "El Mañana" reached #27 upon its release in the UK. A week later, the single had fallen out of the Top 40 in the UK (see 2006 in British music). By the end of 2005, Demon Days had sold over a million copies in the UK, making it the UK's fifth best selling album of 2005. Demon Days has since gone five times platinum in the UK, double platinum in the United States, triple platinum in Australia and has sold over 6 million copies worldwide. De La Soul performing "Feel Good Inc." with the Gorillaz at the Demon Days Live concert in Manchester. Plans were unveiled for Gorillaz to go on a holographic world tour in 2007 and 2008. The cartoon members would be shown as holograms on stage using Musion Eyeliner technology, giving them a life-like appearance on stage. The holograms were first used at the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards on 3 November 2005 and again at the 2006 Grammy Awards on 8 February 2006 with the addition of a virtual Madonna, where the band played a pre-recorded version of "Feel Good Inc." However, the tour was eventually called off due to budget issues. Jamie Hewlett has stated that "...it was extremely expensive, extremely difficult, a million and one things can go wrong, every second that the thing's playing." In 2005, a set of Gorillaz figures were released by Kidrobot to coincide with the release of Demon Days. Two variations of the set were released, known as the Red and Black editions, and a limited edition Noodle from the music video for "DARE" was also released. Three new sets of Gorillaz vinyl figures were released in 2006. The Basic set was released on 16 October 2006 and the 2-tone and White edition sets were released on 2 November 2006. On 21 September 2006, the main lobby of Kong Studios was destroyed for unknown reasons and a teaser clip for Slowboat to Hades appeared and could be played on a TV screen. The Phase Two: Slowboat to Hades DVD was released on 30 October in the United Kingdom, and 31 October in the United States. The official Gorillaz illustrated autobiography, titled Rise of the Ogre, was released on 31 October 2006 in the United Kingdom, and 2 November in the United States. D-Sides, a compilation of B-side and remixes, was released on 19 November 2007 in the UK and on 20 November 2007 in the US. Hopes for a Gorillaz film were revived in 2006 when Hewlett stated that they would be producing the film on their own. American film producer and Weinstein Company co-chairman, Harvey Weinstein, was also said to be collaborating with Albarn and Hewlett. In a September 2006 interview with Uncut magazine, Albarn was reported saying "[Gorillaz] has been a fantastic journey which isn't over, because we're making a film. We've got Terry Gilliam involved. But as far as being in a big band and putting pop music out there, it's finished. We won't be doing that any more." In an interview with the Gorillaz-Unofficial fansite, Jamie Hewlett and Cass Browne revealed that in the film the band members will act as other characters presenting a new story, instead of playing themselves. Hewlett also said that the film's soundtrack will be the next Gorillaz album. "The soundtrack will be the third album. Damon will do the soundtrack, which will be the soundtrack, which will be the third album." As of April 2007, Cass Browne is still finishing the script and Albarn has said that he hopes production of the film will begin in September 2007. No further news was heard about the film until February 2008 when, in an interview with Gorillaz-Unofficial, Hewlett said "Ultimately we didn't think that feel we're in a position to make the kind of movie we want to make with Gorillaz at the moment. But I'd still like to make a full, lavishly-animated Gorillaz movie someday." On 24 October 2007, the official Gorillaz fansite announced that a documentary film about the Gorillaz, titled Bananaz, would be released. The film, directed by Ceri Levy, documents the previous seven years of the band. The film was released online on the Babelgum website on 20 April 2009 followed by the DVD release on 1 June 2009.Phase Three (2007–present) In late 2007, Albarn and Hewlett began working on Carousel, a new Gorillaz project which eventually evolved into the band's third studio album Plastic Beach. Albarn said "I'm making this one the most pop record I've ever made in many ways, but with all my experience to try and at least present something that has got depth." The album features guest performances by Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Mos Def, Bobby Womack, Gruff Rhys, Mark E. Smith, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Kano, Bashy, De La Soul, Little Dragon, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, sinfonia ViVA, and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music. On 18 January 2010, it was announced that Gorillaz will be headlining the final night of the Coachella music festival on 18 April 2010. The first single from the album, "Stylo", featuring Bobby Womack and Mos Def was leaked on 20 January 2010 in a Tumblr blog post by a Russian fan and then consequently made available for streaming through the band's official website as announced on Murdoc's Twitter page saying that "If anyone's going to leak my single it'll be me!". Parlophone president Miles Leonard described the song as "a dark, twisted track that sounds like the 'Saturday Night Fever' soundtrack on MDMA."Stylo" was made available for download 26 January 2010. Plastic Beach was first released on 3 March 2010 in Japan, followed by multiple other dates for other countries.Band members Fictional members * 2D – lead vocals, keyboards * Murdoc Niccals – bass guitar * Russel Hobbs – drums, percussion, DJ * Noodle – guitar, backing vocals Past members * Paula Cracker – guitar * Del the Ghost Rapper - MC * Android Noodle - guitar Actual members In the half-hour TV mockumentary Charts of Darkness, it was explicitly stated that Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett were behind the project. Albarn said "There could be fifty [people] here, but there's two." The first album featured the voice of Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto as Noodle, most notably on the song "19-2000". Phil Cornwell provides the voice of Murdoc. The band's music videos (with the exception of "Rock It" and "Tomorrow Comes Today") are created by Passion Pictures.Live performances Gorillaz played five sold out shows at the Apollo Theater, New York in April 2006 Between 1 November and 5 November 2005, there was a Gorillaz festival at the Manchester Opera House. The event was filmed by an EMI film crew for a DVD release, Demon Days Live, in late March 2006. It was later announced that an American version of the event would take place from 2 April to 6 April 2006 at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem. Within an hour of release tickets were sold out. The 6 April show was filmed for a live webcast at MSN Video. Palladia (then known as MHD) also broadcasted an Apollo Theater show in HDTV on 31 December 2006. At the 2006 Grammy Awards, held on 8 February 2006, Gorillaz opened the show using the same technique, sharing the stage with a virtual Madonna. Their performance was a mash-up of the Gorillaz' "Feel Good Inc." and Madonna's "Hung Up". A week later, on 15 February 2006, Gorillaz performed their song "Dirty Harry" at the 2006 BRIT Awards, with Bootie Brown and the Children's Choir San Fernandez. This concert had giant versions of the video clips on large screens, with Bootie Brown and the Children's Choir San Fernandez to either side of the screens. A similar, but not completely identical, version of this performance was shown on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross and the video was projected at the 2006 Designer of the Year Award exhibition, which Jamie Hewlett later won. A world tour was planned using the hologram technology described above.However, due to extreme costs and fine technical difficulties, the tour was cancelled. Gorillaz headlined the final night of the Coachella music festival on 18 April 2010. In addition, Gorillaz will play a short run of intimate UK rehearsal gigs exclusively for G-Club members, before taking up a two-night residency at London's Camden Roundhouse for shows on 29 and 30 April 2010. Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash performed guitar and bass respectively with the band. These will both feature the full Gorillaz production, including video animation, artwork and film. On the 22nd of March they were announced for Roskilde Festival.

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Britney Spears - Breathe On Me CD UK

Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American pop singer and entertainer. Born in Mississippi and raised in Louisiana, Spears first appeared on national television in 1992 as a contestant on the Star Search program. At age 12 she performed as a cast member in Disney Channel's television series The All New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993 to 1994. In 1997, Spears signed a recording contract with Jive, which would lead to the release of her debut album ...Baby One More Time in 1999. The album peaked at number one in Billboard 200 and has since sold over 25 million copies worldwide. Her success continued with the release of her second studio album, Oops!... I Did It Again in 2000, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. The release of her first 2 albums established her as a pop icon and is credited for influencing the revival of teen pop in the late 1990s./nIn 2001, she released her third studio album Britney and played as the starring role in the film Crossroads. She assumed creative control of her fourth studio album, In the Zone released in 2003, which made her the only female artist of the Nielsen Soundscan era to have her first four albums debut at number one. After the release of her first greatest hits album Greatest Hits: My Prerogative , Spears experienced personal struggles and her career went under hiatus. This was until her fifth studio album, Blackout was released in 2007. Her sixth studio album, Circus was released in 2008, and also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart with the hit single "Womanizer" which became Spears second single to peaked at number one in Billboard Hot 100 since her debut single, nearly 10 years later. In late 2009, Spears released The Singles Collection which includes her third number one hit single in the United States entitled "3"./nAs of late 2007, Spears has sold over 85 million albums worldwide On December 11, 2009 Billboard Magazine named Spears as one of the best selling act of the 2000s, solely based on album sales as well as the 8th overall best act of the decade based on album sales, chart success, and cultural relativity. She is ranked as the eight best-selling female recording artist in the U.S., having sold more than 32 million copies of her albums and all certified by the Recording Industry Association of America. Spears is currently the fifth best-selling artist act of the decade in the country, as well as the top-selling female album artist. Spears is also ranked by Forbes 2009 issue as the 13th most powerful celebrity, and with earnings of over $35 million dollars in 2009, the 2nd-highest earning young musician of the year. Spears made history in the music industry when four of her albums made the Billboards top 20 biggest-opening-week albums of the decade.Early life, The Mickey Mouse Club, career debut, and innosense/nSpears was born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana as a Southern Baptist.Her parents are Lynne Irene (née Bridges), a former elementary school teacher, and Jamie Parnell Spears, a former building contractor and chef. Spears is of English heritage through her maternal grandmother being born in London and distant Maltese descent, with her maternal 2nd great-grandfather Edward Portelli being born in Malta then moving to England where he settled. Spears has two siblings, Bryan and Jamie Lynn. Bryan Spears is married to Jamie-Lynn's manager, Graciella Rivera./nSpears was an accomplished gymnast, attending gymnastics classes until age nine and competing in state-level competitions. She performed in local dance revues and sang in her local Baptist church choir. Spears entered New York City's Professional Performing Arts School when she was eight. Spears's parents would often argue, and they eventually divorced in 2002./nAt age eight, Spears auditioned for the Disney Channel series The New Mickey Mouse Club. Although she was considered too young to join the series at the time, a producer on the show introduced her to a New York City agent. Spears subsequently spent three summers at NYC's Professional Performing Arts School and also appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions. She was an understudy in the 1991 off-Broadway musical Ruthless!. In December 1991, she landed a spot on the popular television show Star Search. She won the first round of competition, but ultimately lost. At age eleven, Spears returned to the Disney Channel for a spot on The New Mickey Mouse Club in Lakeland, Florida. She was featured on the show from 1993 to 1994, until she was 13. After the show ended, Spears returned to Kentwood and attended high school for a year./nIn 1997, Spears briefly joined the all-female pop group innosense. Later that same year, she recorded a solo demo and was signed by Jive Records. She began a U.S. concert tour sponsored by American teen magazines, and eventually became an opening act for 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.Spears released her debut single, "...Baby One More Time", in October 1998 which peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1999 and topped the chart for two weeks.It opened at number-one in the UK Singles Chart selling over 460,000 copies, a record for a female act at the time, and became the top-selling single of 1999 and the 25th most successful song of all time in British chart history with over 1.45 million units sold. Gillian G. Gaar, author of She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll (2002), documented that "eyebrows were raised over the schoolgirl-in-heat persona Spears projected in her [music video for ...Baby One More Time], along with an increasingly revealing series of stage outfits". Spears's debut album ...Baby One More Time peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 in January 1999. Rolling Stone magazine, in a review of the album, wrote: "While several Cherion-crafted kiddie-funk jams serve up beefy hooks, shameless schlock slowies, like E-Mail My Heart, are pure spam". NME commented "[Spears's debut album and its title-track] are the kind of soullessness that saturates Stateside charts and consists of nothing but over-chewed bubblegum beats and saccharine sensibilities". In contrast, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote: "Like many teen pop albums, ...Baby One More Time has its share of well-crafted filler, but the singles, combined with Britney's burgeoning charisma, make this a pretty great piece of fluff".Baby One More Time was later certified fourteen times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, denoting fourteen million units shipped within the United States. Spears posed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in April 1999, shot by photographer David LaChapelle. Geoff Boucher of The Los Angeles Times reported, "there was no mistaking the titillation factor in the recent Spears cover story and accompanying photos in the April 15 issue of Rolling Stone, which sent eyebrows arching throughout the music industry, where several executives half-jokingly called it "child pornography". Gillian G. Gaar reported, "The American Family Association charged that the pictures, which showed Spears in push-up bras and a minuscule pair of shorts with 'Baby' in rhinestones on the bottom, presented a 'disturbing mix of childhood innocence and adult sexuality' and asked that all 'God-loving Americans' boycott stores carrying her albums". More controversy arose when Spears declared that she would "remain a virgin until marriage". This pledge has been questioned due to her apparently sexual relationship with fellow pop singer Justin Timberlake./nOn August 1, 1999, Spears filmed an episode for the teen sitcom, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and performed the song "(You Drive Me) Crazy"; this cameo was a cross-promotion for the film Drive Me Crazy, which starred Sabrina's Melissa Joan Hart and was named after the song. The episode later aired on Friday, September 24, 1999 on ABC. In December 1999, she won four Billboard Music Awards, including Female Artist of the Year. A month later, she received the Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist award at the American Music Awards./nFollowing the success of her previous album, Spears released the album Oops!... I Did It Again in May 2000. It debuted at number one in the U.S. by selling 1,319,193 units during its first week of sales, breaking the SoundScan record for the highest album sales in its debut week by any solo artist.The RIAA awarded the album with a diamond certification with over 10 million copies sold in the U.S.Allmusic gave it awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, saying that the album "has the same combination of sweetly sentimental ballads and endearingly gaudy dance-pop that made "...Baby One More Time."Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5 by noting the album as "fantastic pop cheese" and "Britney's demand for satisfaction is complex, fierce and downright scary." The album's lead single "Oops!... I Did It Again" broke the record for most radio station additions in a single day, and quickly became a top ten hit in the U.S. and other countries. The same year, Spears launched her first world tour, the "Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour". During the tour, she made a stop in New York for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. As part of her performance, she ripped off a black suit to reveal a provocative nude-colored and crystal-adorned outfit that generated much controversy. Spears earned two Billboard Music Awards for Oops!... I Did It Again. 2001–03: Britney, Crossroads, and In the Zone "I'm A Slave 4 U" (2001) Play sound I'm A Slave 4 U saw Britney's transition from bubblegum pop to a more urban pop sound. Problems listening to this file? See media help./nSpears released her third studio album Britney in November 2001. In the album, she assumed some creative control by co-writing five tracks. Britney was also known as the album that Spears combined her originated pop sensibilities with more hip hop and R&B beats. Although not as successful as her previous albums, Britney debuted at number one in the U.S. by selling 745,744 units during its first week. The album's success made her the only female artist in music history to have her first three albums debut at number one. The album fared well with critics such as Allmusic who gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, describing the album's title tracks as being "pivotal moments on Britney Spears's third album, the record where she strives to deepen her persona, making it more adult while still recognizably Britney." In contrast, Rolling Stone said of the album Britney "belabors the obvious: Spears is one month away from entering her twenties and clearly needs to grow up if she's going to bring her fans along." Britney's lead single "I'm a Slave 4 U" peaked at 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it the album's biggest hit. To help promote the album, Spears embarked on the Dream Within a Dream Tour in November 2001. The tour was forced to cut short in Mexico City due to bad weather. With the end to her tour, Spears announced she would take a six month break from her career./nIn early 2002, Spears's four-year relationship with Justin Timberlake ended. His 2002 song "Cry Me a River" and its music video, which featured an actress resembling Spears, caused speculation that Spears had been unfaithful; Timberlake, however, denied that his song was meant to portray her. June 2002 saw the opening of Spears's restaurant, Nyla, in New York City, which served Louisianan and Italian cuisine. However, she was pulled out of the business venture in November as a result of debts and management issues. Nyla officially closed in 2003. In the same year, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst confirmed that he was in a relationship with Spears. Durst was also hired to help write and produce tracks for her album In the Zone, which were eventually scrapped./nSpears had her first starring role in the 2002 film Crossroads, in which she portrayed a high school graduate who travels to find her long-lost mother. The movie was poorly received, as was her performance; Spears received Razzie Awards for Worst Actress and for Worst Original Song. Nonetheless, the film grossed over $60 million worldwide, which was five times its budget. Spears also made cameo appearances in Austin Powers in Goldmember and Longshot. Footage of Spears appeared in the 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, which samples a 2003 CNN interview about the Iraq War in which Spears stated that she thought "we should just trust our president in every decision he makes and should just support that"./nSpears made her third consecutive MTV Video Music Awards performance. While performing "I'm a Slave 4 U", she used caged animals as props and danced with a large albino python draped over her shoulders. Animal-rights organization PETA claimed that the animals featured in the performance were mistreated and cancelled plans for an anti-fur billboard that was to feature Spears. Her career success was highlighted by Forbes magazine in 2002 as Spears was ranked the world's most powerful celebrity, earnings of over $39.2 million . On October 7, 2002, "People Magazine declared that, Spears sold 52 million albums worldwide in the last four years and making between $40 million and $50 million a year as a result. At a performance at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, she appeared with Christina Aguilera performing the song "Like a Virgin", and was later joined by American pop singer Madonna, with whom Spears and Aguilera both locked lips; the incident was highly publicized. Spears performing "Me Against The Music" at the NFL Kickoff Live 2003/nSpears released her fourth studio album In the Zone in November 2003, jettisoning the Max Martin-produced synthpop of her earlier releases. The album took in lesser-known producers such as RedZone and big names including Moby and R. Kelly. Spears co-wrote eight of the album's thirteen songs and co-produced several pieces of her material for the first time. In the Zone reached number one in the U.S. charts during its debut week, selling over 609,000 copies. This made Spears the first female in the Nielsen SoundScan era to have her first four studio albums to debut at number one. The album had a mixed reception from critics. Stylus Magazine gave the album a D and blamed Spears's career choices by stating, "Ultimately, In the Zone suffers greatly from Britney's uneasy transition from teen tart to sexually powerful woman. Had Britney been in charge of her career direction instead of mercilessly prostituted by her management, she might have been able to produce something with some semblance of musical vision." The Guardian praised the album's melodies and her effort, giving it 4 out of 5 stars: "Unlike previous Britney albums, In the Zone has no filler and no shoddy cover versions, just 57 varieties of blue-chip hit-factory pop. There is southern hip-hop, deep house, Neptunes-style R&B, the ubiquitous Diwali beat and, most importantly, oodles of Madonna." The album spawned the hit single "Toxic", winning Spears her first ever Grammy in the category of Best Dance Recording. 2004–2005: Marriages, religion, first child and compilation albums/nSpears married childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander on January 3, 2004, at The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.The marriage lasted 55 hours, ending with an annulment stating that Spears "lacked understanding of her actions to the extent that she was incapable of agreeing to marriage because before entering into the marriage the Plaintiff and Defendant did not know each others' likes and dislikes, each others' desires to have or not have children, and each other's desires as to State of residency"./nMonths after her Las Vegas marriage, Spears embarked on The Onyx Hotel Tour, which was canceled in June after Spears injured her knee during the filming of the video for the single "Outrageous".The tour's choreography generated much controversy and criticism, which was cited inappropriate with the presence of young children in the audience. In September 2004, Spears, although being raised a Baptist, became involved in the Kabbalah Centre through her friendship with Madonna. However, she publicly left the religion in 2006, stating on her website, "I no longer study Kabbalah, my baby is my religion."/nIn July 2004, Spears announced her engagement to Kevin Federline, three months after they met. Federline had recently been in a relationship with actress Shar Jackson, who was eight months pregnant with their second child. These initial stages were chronicled in Spears's first reality show Britney & Kevin: Chaotic, which aired on UPN in May and June 2005. On the night of September 18, Spears married Federline in a surprise, non-denominational ceremony at a residence in Studio City, California, filing legal papers on October 6. After the marriage, Spears announced via her website that she would be taking another career break to start a family. She gave birth to her first child, Sean Preston Federline, nearly one year later, on September 14, 2005 in Santa Monica, California by a scheduled caesarean section./nNovember 2004 saw the release of her first greatest hits collection, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative, which features all of Spears's singles with the exception of "From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart". It also featured three previously unreleased songs: a cover version of American R&B singer Bobby Brown's 1988 hit "My Prerogative", "Do Somethin'", produced by Bloodshy and Avant, with whom she had worked on In The Zone, and "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)", which was a song originally recorded for Spears's fourth album, In The Zone, but did not make the final cut. By the end of that year, Spears had become one of the best-selling artists in the world./nIn November 2005, Spears released her first remix album, B in the Mix: The Remixes. The album ranged from "...Baby One More Time" to "Toxic". Her new songs "Someday (I Will Understand)" and "And Then We Kiss" were also remixed. B in the Mix: The Remixes had sold a total of 100,000 copies in the USA after 4 years, it was the first album for which Spears didn't receive any RIAA certification. 2006–2007: Second child, personal and professional struggles, and Blackout/nIn 2006, Spears guest-starred on the Will & Grace episode "Buy, Buy Baby" as a closeted lesbian. Spears announced her second pregnancy in May 2006 during an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. She also appeared on Dateline the next month to discuss tabloid rumors about an impending divorce, and motherhood. She addressed an incident which occurred in February when photos revealed her driving with her son unrestrained in her lap, explaining, "I see a bunch of photographers and I’m scared and I want to get out of the situation... They’re coming up on the sides of the car which is a scary situation for me… so I get my baby out of the car and I go home." The month following the televised interview, Spears posed nude for the August 2006 cover of Harper's Bazaar. Just two days before Sean's first birthday, Spears gave birth to her second son, Jayden James Federline on September 12 in Los Angeles. Spears filed for divorce from Federline on November 7, 2006, citing irreconcilable differences and asking for both physical and legal custody of their two children, with visitation rights for Federline. The following day, Federline filed a response to Spears's divorce petition, seeking physical and legal custody of their children. American attorney Laura Wasser was hired to represent Spears in the case. According to a representative for Federline's lawyer, the divorce filing "caught Kevin totally by surprise".The couple reached a global settlement agreement in March 2007 and their divorce was finalized in July. Spears's aunt Sandra Bridges Covington, with whom she had been very close, died of ovarian cancer on January 21, 2007. Spears then stayed in an off-shore drug rehabilitation facility in Antigua for less than 24 hours on February 16. The following night at a hair salon in Tarzana, California she shaved her head with electric clippers. A few days later, she admitted herself to another treatment facility in Malibu. While leaving the facility briefly, she quickly returned on February 22. The previous day, Kevin Federline had requested an emergency hearing regarding the custody of their children but then his attorney announced that Federline asked to cancel the court appearance. No further explanation was given./nThroughout 2007, Spears's behavior received heightened media attention, including attacking a paparazzi vehicle with an umbrella. Spears left the rehabilitation center on March 20 according to her manager, who said she was released after "successfully completing their program." As the legal battle over the custody of their children continued, many members of her entourage have been summoned to testify about her parenting skills. In March 2007, Leonard Pitts, Jr. wrote that in the aftermath of Spears's personal struggles that have become widely publicized, Spears had been reduced to an abstract idea as opposed to being regarded as a real person. "The abstraction is not surprising: Whatever media touch, they objectify... What must it be like to have your marriage and divorce, your relationship with your parents and kids... dissected by millions of strangers who think they know you?" Pitts further commented that fame and fortune do not qualify the media scrutiny Spears has faced, but observed that fact has been overlooked by "our rush to a day of 'reality' television" and "tabloid journalism". Though "[t]here is no reverence, no privacy, [and] nothing held back as sacred", Pitts argues "Britney Jean Spears is not an idea."/nIn May 2007, she produced a mini-tour for the House of Blues just after she left a rehabilitation facility under the name The M+M's; with six shows altogether, she sang live during some lines of her songs. She recorded her next album with producers such as Sean Garrett, J. R. Rotem and Nate "Danja" Hills throughout 2006 and 2007./nIn September 2007, the official findings in Spears's custody battle were announced by the court. She was ordered to undergo random drug and alcohol testing and to attend parenting counseling. Spears and Federline continued to share joint custody of their two children on a conditional basis. A few days later, on August 6, she was officially charged with misdemeanor hit-and-run and driving without a license. If convicted, she could have faced a year in jail. Spears lost physical custody of her children to Federline on October 1, with the court ruling that Federline will keep full custody of the children./nOn October 9, 2007, the Court ordered her to be booked for her alleged hit-and-run of August 6, 2007, and she was booked for the charges by the Los Angeles Police Department on October 15 but was not arrested. "Gimme More" (2007) Play sound First single from Blackout. Problems listening to this file? See media help./nThe release of Spears's fifth album, Blackout, was rescheduled to October 30, 2007 rather than November 13, 2007 due to online leaks. Blackout debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart and the U.S. Billboard 200., making Spears the only female music artist to have her first five albums go to number one and two. It was fairly well received by critics. As of June 2008, there have been 3.1 million digital downloads of the songs and remixes from the album in the United States. Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars. Allmusic also rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling Blackout "coherent and entertaining" and stating that "it holds together better than any of her other records". Blackout's lead single, "Gimme More" leaked on the internet on August 30. The song, which was Spears's first produced by Danja, peaked at number three on Billboard Hot 100 on October 3, making it, at the time, her most successful single in the U.S. since her debut, "...Baby One More Time"./nSpears's highly anticipated performance of "Gimme More" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards attracted worldwide attention which exceeded expectations. It became perhaps the most talked-about televised song and dance routine since Michael Jackson's appearance a quarter century earlier on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever special. Her singing, her dancing and even her wardrobe were all commented on extensively. The BBC stated that "her performance would go down in the history books as being one of the worst to grace the MTV Awards." The single rocketed to worldwide success.[not in citation given] The second single, "Piece of Me", peaked at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart./nIn December 2007, Spears began a relationship with Adnan Ghalib, had been working as a paparazzo, taking photographs of Spears outside her house. Of his relationship with Spears, Ghalib stated, "I think she's a great person.". This relationship lead to speculation Spears was suffering from a form of Stockholm Syndrome in which kidnapping victims feel attached and show sympathy for their captors". New York psychologist, Patricia Saunders, said about Spears: "some of the characteristics of persistent paparazzi are similar to stalkers. And for Britney, she’s looking for any port in a storm. The elements of Stockholm syndrome come from that sense of 'If you can’t beat them, join them'". Stacy Kaiser, a well-known Californian psychotherapist, relationship expert and media personality, stated in the E! channel documentary titled Britney Spears: Price of Fame, that "Britney hands down has to be the most photographed person since Lady Diana". 2008: Conservatorship, custody settlement, and Circus Spears at the album release party of Circus and her 27th birthday party./nOn the evening of January 3, 2008, after not sleeping for over four days, Spears refused to relinquish custody of her children to Federline's representatives. In response, police were called to Spears's home. She was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after she "appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance", though blood tests tested negative for any illicit substances. She was held for psychiatric evaluation for two days. Pending a February 19 hearing, Commissioner Scott Gordon issued an order on January 14 stating that her visitation rights have been suspended indefinitely. On January 31, a court placed Spears under temporary co-conservatorship of her father James Spears and attorney Andrew Wallete, giving them complete control of her assets. As a result of an order placed by her psychiatrist, she was taken to UCLA Medical Center to be put on a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold for the second time that month. On February 1, a restraining order was issued against Sam Lutfi, a prominent figure in Spears's life. She was released from the hospital on February 6, amid speculation that she has bipolar disorder, although medical records are confidential, and no confirmation has been made. Her parents expressed disappointment and concern at the decision to release her. She has regained some visitation rights after coming to an agreement with Federline and his counsel. On July 18, 2008, Spears and Federline reached a custody settlement in which Federline retains sole custody while Spears keeps her visitation rights./nVanessa Grigoriadis reported in "The Tragedy of Britney Spears" (2008), her cover story for Rolling Stone, that "more than any other star today, Britney epitomizes the crucible of fame for the famous: loving it, hating it and never quite being able to stop it from destroying you". Grigoriadis wrote that "every day in L.A., at least a hundred paparazzi, reporters and celebrity-magazine editors dash after her" and that paparazzi estimated Spears generated "up to twenty percent of their coverage for the past year". She further documented that in addition to tabloid journalists, the Associated Press declared that everything Spears does is considered news. "The paparazzi feed the celebrity magazines, which feed the mainstream press, while sources sell their dirtiest material to British tabloids, and then it trickles back to America," wrote Grigoriadis, "She's the canary in the coal mine of our culture, the most vivid representation of the excess of the past decade." "Womanizer" (2008) Play sound First single from Circus, and Spears's second U.S. #1 single. Problems listening to this file? See media help./nIn 2008, Spears guest-starred on CBS's television show How I Met Your Mother playing a receptionist. She received positive reviews for her performance as well as bringing in the series' highest ratings ever. Spears reprised her role in May 2008, leaving the storyline open for a future return./nOn September 7, 2008, Spears opened the MTV Video Music Awards for the third time. Although having not performed, a sketch comedy with Jonah Hill was pre-taped, as well as an introduction speech to the official opening of the show. Spears won Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Video Of The Year for "Piece of Me". On September 15, Jive released a statement announcing the title of her sixth studio album, Circus as well as the first single, "Womanizer". The single was released to radio stations on September 26, and the release date for the album is December 2, Spears's 27th birthday. On October 15, the song made a record-breaking jump to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record set by T.I.'s Live Your Life. It also garnered first-week download sales of 286,000, the biggest opening-week tally by a female artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital downloads in 2003. It marked Spears's first number one single on the Hot 100 since her debut, "...Baby One More Time"./nOn October 21, 2008, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Steele declared a mistrial and dismissed the August 2007 driving without a license misdemeanor charges against Spears, who was represented by attorney J. Michael Flanagan. Spears claimed she had a valid Louisiana license and a California permit was not required./nOn November 6, 2008, Spears won two awards at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008, "Album of The Year" for Blackout and "Act of 2008", and despite not being present, two acceptance videos were taped and shown at the show. Circus debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 selling 505,000 copies in its first week. This became Spears's fifth number one album, making her the only act in Nielsen SoundScan history to have four albums debuted with 500,000 copies or more. It is also Spears's second album, the first being ...Baby One More Time, to have charted two top-ten singles as "Circus", the follow up single to the number-one hit "Womanizer", debuted at number three on the Hot 100, making it, at the time, her highest debut on the chart as well as her seventh top ten hit. 2009-2010: Legal matters, The Circus Starring Britney Spears and The Singles Collection Spears performing during her The Circus Starring Britney Spears world tour in 2009./nIn January 2009, Spears and her father obtained a restraining order against the singer's former manager/friend Sam Lutfi, one-time beau Adnan Ghalib, and attorney Jon Eardley—all of whom, court documents claim, have been conspiring to gain control of the pop star's affairs. The restraining order forbids Lutfi and Ghalib from contacting Spears or coming within 250 yards of her, her property or family members./nIn February 2009, Spears achieved further success in solidifying her comeback by having the second single of off her comeback album, "Circus" rise to number one on the Top 40 Radio Chart, making it the first time Spears has achieved back-to-back number one hits on the Top 40 Chart along with her comeback single, "Womanizer". This makes her fifth number one song on the chart, putting her in a tie for second place for most number one Top 40 songs in the Mainstream Top 40's sixteen year history. Mariah Carey is in first place with six number one songs./nIn March, Spears launched her seventh tour to promote the Circus album. The Circus Starring Britney Spears began its run on March 3, 2009 in Spears's home state of Louisiana. Opening night, as well as every following show in North America, sold out. The tour spanned through North America, Europe, and Australia. Spears was accompanied by her children on the tour, and were in her custody for over 50% of the time for the duration of the tour.. The tour ended in November 2009. It garnered positive reception from contemporary critics and became the fifth highest grossing tour of 2009 worldwide./nIn April 2009, Spears declared her support for same-sex marriage to the media, following the controversial incident on Miss USA where contestant Carrie Prejean, representing California, expressed her disapproval of same-sex unions. The message left by Spears on her Twitter page read “Love is love! People should be able to do whatever makes them happy!” After years of absence, Forbes magazine listed Spears as the 13th most powerful celebrity and the second most top-earning young musician as she made $35 million from June 2008 to June 2009. "3" (2009) Play sound Spears's third U.S. #1 single. Problems listening to this file? See media help./nOn November 24 Jive released a greatest hits album, The Singles Collection to honor her 10th anniversary in the music industry. It contained the new single "3" which topped the Billboard 100 making it her 3rd #1 hit on the chart. It also marked the first time in 3 years that a song had debuted directly at #1 on the chart. The album was released in a standard edition, deluxe CD+DVD edition, BoxSet edition, and as a digital download. Musical style and performance Spears performing in 2009's world tour The Circus Starring Britney Spears/nFollowing her debut, Spears was credited with leading the revival of teen pop in the late 1990s. The Daily Yomiuri reported that "[m]usic critics have hailed her as the most gifted teenage pop idol for many years, but Spears has set her sights a little higher-she is aiming for the level of superstardom that has been achieved by Madonna and Janet Jackson." Rolling Stone wrote: "Britney Spears carries on the classic archetype of the rock & roll teen queen, the dungaree doll, the angel baby who just has to make a scene." Rami Yacoub who co-produced Spears's debut album with lyricist Max Martin, commented, "I know from Denniz Pop and Max's previous productions, when we do songs, there's kind of a nasal thing. With N' Sync and the Backstreet Boys, we had to push for that mid-nasal voice. When Britney did that, she got this kind of raspy, sexy voice." Following the release of her debut album, Chuck Taylor of Billboard observed, "Spears has become a consummate performer, with snappy dance moves, a clearly real-albeit young-and funkdified voice ... "(You Drive Me) Crazy", her third single ... demonstrates Spears's own development, proving that the 17-year-old is finding her own vocal personality after so many months of steadfast practice." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic referred to her music as a "blend of infectious, rap-inflected dance-pop and smooth balladry." Spears later commented, "With ...Baby One More Time, I didn't get to show my voice off. The songs were great, but they weren't very challenging"./nOops!...I Did It Again and subsequent albums saw Spears working with several contemporary R&B producers, leading to "a combination of bubblegum, urban soul, and raga." Her third studio album, Britney derived from the teen pop niche, "[r]hythmically and melodically ... sharper, tougher than what came before. What used to be unabashedly frothy has some disco grit, underpinned by Spears' spunky self-determination that helps sell hooks that are already catchier, by and large, than those that populated her previous two albums." Guy Blackman of The Age wrote that while few would care to listen to an entire Spears album, "[t]he thing about Spears, though, is that her biggest songs, no matter how committee-created or impossibly polished, have always been convincing because of her delivery, her commitment and her presence. For her mostly teenage fans, Spears expresses perfectly the conflicting urges of adolescence, the tension between chastity and sexual experience, between hedonism and responsibility, between confidence and vulnerability."/nHer vocal ability has also been criticized, often drawing unfavorable comparison to her pop rival, Christina Aguilera Critic Allan Raible derides her overdependence in Circus on digital effects and the robotic effect it creates. "She’s never been a strong vocalist..." writes Raible, "Could she handle these songs with stripped down arrangements and no vocal effects? More importantly, would anyone want to hear her attempt such a performance? Does it matter? No. The focus is still image over substance." Her image and persona are also often contrasted to Christina Aguilera. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly observed "Christina Aguilera may flash skin and belly button, but in her music and manner, she's too eager not to offend — she's a good girl pretending to be bad. Spears, however, comes across as a bad girl acting good ... Spears' artificial-sweetener voice is much less interesting than the settings, yet that blandness is actually a relief compared with Aguilera's numbing vocal gymnastics. In contrast, Allmusic comments: "Like her peer Christina Aguilera, Britney equates maturity with transparent sexuality and the pounding sounds of nightclubs ... Where Christina comes across like a natural-born skank, Britney is the girl next door cutting loose at college, drinking and smoking and dancing and sexing just a little too recklessly, since this is the first time she can indulge herself. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine notes, "The disparity between Aguilera and Spears can't be measured solely by the timbre and octave range of their voices ... [Aguilera's] popularity has never reached the fever pitch of Britney's./nLike other dance-oriented pop stars, it has been widely reported that Spears lip-syncs in concert. Author Gary Giddins wrote in his book Natural selection: Gary Giddins on comedy, film, music, and books (2006) that "among many other performers accused of moving their lips while a machine does the labor are Britney Spears, Luciano Pavarotti, Shania Twain, Beyoncé, and Madonna." Rashod D. Ollison of The Baltimore Sun observes: "Many pop stars ... feel they have no choice but to seek vocal enhancement. Since the advent of MTV and other video music channels, pop audiences have been fed elaborate videos thick with jaw-dropping effects, awesome choreography, fabulous clothes, marvelous bodies. And the same level of perfection is expected to extend beyond the video set to the concert stage. So if Britney Spears, Janet Jackson or Madonna sounds shrill and flat without a backing track, fans won't pay up to $300 for a concert ticket." Giddins adds, "it was reported Britney Spears fans prefer her to lip-sync—despite her denials of doing so (contradicted by her own director)—because they expect flawless digitalization when they pay serious money for a concert." In Australia, NSW Fair Trading Minister Virginia Judge has advised disclaimers be printed on any ticket for concerts which contain any prerecorded vocals. She commented: "There could have been some instances where people actually go and purchase a ticket thinking that they're going to have a live performance ... for some people that means that everything is live, it's fresh, it happens instantaneously, it's not something that's been pre-recorded. You want to make sure that they're actually paying for what they think they're getting." Noting on the prevalence of lip-syncing, Los Angeles Daily News reported "in the context of a Britney Spears concert, does it really matter? Like a Vegas revue show, you don't go to hear the music, you go for the somewhat-ridiculous spectacle of it all". Similarly, Aline Mendelsohn of the Orlando Sentinel remarked: "Let's get one thing straight: A Britney Spears concert is not about the music ... you have to remember that it's about the sight, not the sound." Critic Glenn Gamboa comments her concert tours are "like her life—a massive money-making venture designed to play up her talents and distract from her shortcomings with a mix of techno-tinged sex appeal and disco-flavored flash. And, like her life, it is, more or less, a success. Influences/nThroughout her career, Spears has drawn frequent comparisons to Madonna and Janet Jackson, in terms of vocals, choreography and stage presence, citing both as influences in her work. She has also named Michael Jackson as a source of inspiration." According to Spears: "I know when I was younger, I looked up to people. like, you know, Janet Jackson and Madonna. And they were major inspirations for me. But I also had my own identity and I knew who I was, you know." In the 2002 book Madonnastyle by Carol Clerk, she is quoted saying: "I have been a huge fan of Madonna since I was a little girl. I would really, really like to be a legend like Madonna.Her choreography definitely opened the door for girls to go in there and do their own thing"./nMany critics have argued that Spears should not be considered in the same league of talent as Jackson or Madonna. Journalists Erika Montalvo and Jackie Sheppard of the Rocky Mountain Collegian observed "[s]ome may argue that Spears is not only a good recording artist but also an important cultural icon." However, in examining her level of skill as an artist, it is questioned that "[a]lthough she has been classified among female elites such as Janet Jackson and Madonna, what does Ms. Spears really have in common with these divas of rock?" Joan Anderman of the Boston Globe remarked that "[t]hirteen costume changes in 90 minutes won't bless her with Madonna's intelligence or cultural barometer. An army of cutting-edge R&B producers won't supply her with Janet Jackson's sense of humor or sincere smile ... Britney's heroes aren't great singers. But they're real singers. Spears sounds robotic, nearly inhuman, on her records, so processed is her voice by digital pitch-shifters and synthesizers."/nReporter Ed Bumgardner commented her transition from teen pop start to adult sex symbol with her third studio album Britney "takes its cues from two other successful performers—Madonna and Janet Jackson—both of whom she brazenly rips off and both of whom, like Spears, are passable singers, at best." Critic Shane Harrison wrote: "From the minimalist thump and "Nasty" feel of "I'm a Slave 4 U" to the scattered quotes in "Boys," [Britney] feels like [Spears's] attempt at 'Control'." Citing Jackson's resolve to incorporate personal and social issues into her work and Madonna's ability to constantly redefine the boundaries of socially acceptable material in the industry, Spears's catalog ultimately pales in comparison, because "[w]hile Jackson and Madonna wrote their own music about subjects of importance, [Spears's] music sounds like an upbeat version of either, 'I want to grow up but the media won't let me,' or 'Here kitty, kitty, I'm wearing my underwear outside of my leather pants'-type ballads." In contrast, Guy Blackman argues that although "no one would argue that Spears is some kind of pioneering pop auteur, there’s still a lot to like about her back catalogue. During her world-conquering peak, she was just about as cutting edge as you could get in the world of global pop superstardom. Spears didn’t just work with big names, she gave big names their names, and maintained her high currency in the world’s most fickle industry for years, when most aspiring starlets are lucky to manage months."/nMadonna's respect for Spears has also been a subject of observation. Santiago Fouz-Hernández and Freya Jarman-Ivens, authors of Madonna's drowned worlds: new approaches to her cultural transformations, 1983-2003 (2004) note that the most well known cross-generational relationship exists between Spears and Madonna in which "the entertainment newsmedia almost became obsessed with their relationship of mutual admiration." The biographers also report "[s]ome observers of popular culture, however, feel that the comparisons between the two artist are meaningless and fail to recognize Madonna's unique contribution: Madonna was never 'just another pop star' whereas Britney can more easily be seen as a standard manufactured pop act." Legacy Spears's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame/nSpears became an international pop culture icon immediately after launching her recording career. Rolling Stone magazine wrote: "One of the most controversial and successful female vocalists of the 21st century," she "spearheaded the rise of post-millennial teen pop ... Spears early on cultivated a mixture of innocence and experience that broke the bank". She is listed by the Guinness World Records as having the "Best-selling album by a teenage solo artist" for her debut album ...Baby One More Time which sold over thirteen million copies in the United States. Melissa Ruggieri of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported, "She's also marked for being the best-selling teenage artist. Before she turned 20 in 2001, Spears sold more than 37 million albums worldwide". Barbara Ellen of The Observer reported: "Spears is famously one of the 'oldest' teenagers pop has ever produced, almost middle aged in terms of focus and determination. Many 19-year-olds haven't even started working by that age, whereas Britney, a former Mouseketeer, was that most unusual and volatile of American phenomena — a child with a full-time career. While other little girls were putting posters on their walls, Britney was wanting to be the poster on the wall. Whereas other children develop at their own pace, Britney was developing at a pace set by the ferociously competitive American entertainment industry". 'Britney Spears' has been Yahoo!'s most popular search term for the last four consecutive years, seven times in total. Spears was named as Most Searched Person in the Guinness World Records book edition 2007 and 2009./nSpears has also become an major influence among many new artists, including Kristinia DeBarge,Lady Gaga,Little Boots, Taylor Swift, Pixie Lott and Miley Cyrus who has cited Spears as one of her biggest inspirations and has also referenced Spears in her hit song "Party in the U.S.A." Bebo Norman wrote a song about Spears, called "Britney", which was released as a single. Boy band Busted also wrote a song about Spears called "Britney", which was on their debut album. She is also mentioned in P!nk's song "Don't Let Me Get Me". Richard Cheese called Britney Spears "a remarkable recording artist" and also went on to say that she was "versatile" and what the industry calls an "artist". People magazine and MTV reported that October 1, 2008, Bronx's John Philip Sousa Middle School, named their music studio in honor of Britney Spears. Spears herself was present during the ceremony and donated $10,000 dollars to the school's music program./nThe TISM song Thou Shalt Not Britney Spear from the 2001 De RigueurMortis album discusses the situation of a boy declining to have sex with a girlfriend who is keen to do so. Britney Spears is used as the imaginary girlfriend, possibly because of the double-entendre with her name. The track includes a voice very like Spears' repeating "Oh, My God" during the chorus. Products and endorsements Main article: Britney Spears products Curious - Spears's first fragrance/nIn early 2001, Spears signed a multi-million dollar promotional deal with Pepsi that included television commercials, point-of-purchase promotions, and Internet ties between Spears and the company. Britney Spears has earned over US$370 million from her many, multi-million dollar advertisement and endorsement deals all around the World. She has published four books, including A Mother's Gift, and released seven DVDs, including her self-produced 2005 reality series Britney & Kevin: Chaotic. Other Spears products include a doll and a video game. She has the highest-grossing merchandise sales for a solo artist male or female due to her world tours. (male and female). On March 2, 2009 it was announced that Spears would be the new face of Candie's. On April 1, 2009, People magazine released a sneak peek of what the ads will look like. In January 2010, it was announced that Britney would remain the spokesperson for Candies in 2010. The photo shoot entitled "Britney: Through The Lens" was shot by Annie Leibovitz, Mark Seliger, and other photographers. In November 2009, Britney released the "It's Britney" application for the iPhone and iPod touch. It features Twitter and Facebook updates, photo galleries, news, a photo game called "Be Britney's Dancer," a sparkler image that includes a surprise when attending her concerts, and exclusive photos and messages from Britney./nSpears endorsed her first Elizabeth Arden fragrance "Curious" in September, 2004, which had $100 million in sales in the five weeks after its 2004 release, and it broke licenser Elizabeth Arden's record for first-week gross for a perfume and went on to become the number-one fragrance in department stores on 2004. In September 2005, Spears released the fragrance "Fantasy" with Elizabeth Arden, which also saw great success. These were followed by the release of two more fragrances of "Curious:In Control" and "Midnight Fantasy" in 2006. Her next Elizabeth Arden fragrance, "Believe", was released in September 2007. In January, 2008, Spears released "Curious Heart". Spears released a new fragrance entitled "Hidden Fantasy" in January 2009. On March 22, 2009, it was announced that Spears has the #1 selling celebrity fragrance, making up 34% of sales.

Runtime: 3m:41s

Rich Girls - He Ain't Wit Me Now Though

Rich Harrison, known for his hit records “Crazy in Love” Beyonce, “Soldier“ Destiny Child,” “One Thing” Amerie, & many more is here to introduce the world to the new definition of a “Richgirl”. Richcraft Records, Rich Harrison’s label, presents a new era with his new four-member girl group: Richgirl. In this case the word “Rich” does not refer to material items, but rather a certain attitude and confidence, combined with individuality and talent that any girl might possess, each in their own way. Richgirl consists of four multi-talented young women, who reign from different parts of the country. All have different backgrounds and experiences, but each has the same passion and love for creativity, expression, music and entertainment which has brought them together. The members of RichGirl are as follows:/nAUDRA Hailing from San Diego, California, Audra has a sexiness that captivates the eyes of her fans coupled with quirkiness and unexpected wit. Aside from her sassy persona, her rich, syrupy vocals give the group its soothing element, which seals the all-star package./nBRAVE This Baltimore native brings an edgy element to the group. She possesses sex appeal, uniquely combined with insightfulness, which is heard through her thoughtful spoken-word and street tinged raps./nLYNDRIETTE The Southern Belle of the group, she was raised in North Carolina. She possesses exhilarating vocals that make her a singing powerhouse. She has a playful spirit and warmth that comes from her small town upbringing. At the same time she has a focus and hunger that will take her and Richgirl around the world./nSEVEN Raised in Haines City, Florida, Seven will automatically be known for her dynamic vocals which she acquired from growing up in the church singing. She is the all-American girl, who happens to have a voice that would not be ignored./nRichgirl is currently in the studio recording their yet to be named DEBUT album.

Runtime: 3m:46s

Sanchez - Frenzy

Sanchez (born Kevin Anthony Jackson, 30 November 1964, Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican Reggae Artist Sanchez is one of the all time favorite singer/performer who transforms his audience into a mass choir at his live performances. He epitomizes elegance and style and is always splendidly attired in a formal suit, enhanced with gold chains and bracelets, giving fans the ultimate in appearance and presentation. His selection of songs range from soulful R&B to hardcore Dancehall, Reggae, balanced with religiously calming cuts that enhance the spiritual vibes of his act. Entertainment writer, Howard Hendricks, describes Sanchez’s voice as "a supernatural gift from a loving God that can out sing any Nightingale, and he possesses one of the sweetest male voices in popular music". At a recent concert at the Hard Rock Cafe, Disney World in Orlando, Florida, Sanchez hit the stage dapper-style, in white shoes, a white three-piece suit and white felt hat. His impeccable performance matched his immaculate attire.. The consummate lovers’ rock exponent, whose fan base is predominantly female, tore down the place, while he was entertaining a full house. That is indeed the norm for this singer who says "I love music to the max." Sanchez's strong church background is evident in his delivery of the song 'Amazing Grace' Sanchez on stage at the Cross Road night club, Washington Born on November 30, 1964 in Kingston, Jamaica and christened Kevin Anthony Jackson, Sanchez grew up with his Mother, Father, two brothers and two sisters, in the Stony Hill and Waterford Communities under strong Christian principles. He says, "I had to go to church every Sunday and often during the week as well. I was a member of the Rehoboth Apostolic Church junior choir and later the senior choir where I was the lead singer. I just love singing and going to church. However, when I started to attend St. Andrew Technical High School, I started hanging out with a new set of friends, things began to change and we would go to parties where sound systems like Rambo, Small Ax and Crystal would play. I really began to like the music and went through a period of conflict which later resulted in me drifting from the church." The former choir leader became a selector for the Rambo Sound system; a system on which many of his close DJ colleagues such as Flourigan, Lizard and Red Dragon also worked out. (By this time, he had been renamed Sanchez by his friends. and soccer team mates because of a highly skilled pass he made that was reminiscent of the great Brazilian soccer star Hugo Sanchez). As he gradually moved on to singing at these parties/sessions, the response he received was encouraging. Sanchez soon began voicing for some of the top record producers in the business: Red Man, Winston Riley and Fattis Burrell. In 1987, Sanchez’s first single "Lady In Red" was released; soaring to the # 19 slot on JBC Radio record chart and that was very encouraging for young Sanchez. "It was a great feeling to hear my song playing on the radio." Receiving the South Florida 1999 Reggae-Soca Award for best gospel song. "Amazing Grace" His first hit, the Winston Riley produced, 'Loneliness,' recorded in 1988, is still one of his biggest hits. In that same year, he was voted Singer of the Year, Best Up and Coming and Best New Artist by Rockers and Bins awards respectively. 'Loneliness' was also voted Song of the Year, and this led him to his first appearance at Reggae Sunsplash. Since Loneliness, Sanchez has scored with big hits such as, "Wild Sanchez", "Love Mi Lover Bad"(a combination with DJ Florigan), "Fall In Love," "If I Ever Fall In Love Again," "Pretty Girl," "One In A Million," "Hello," 'Amazing Grace,' and "Frenzy.” Frenzy won for Sanchez the 2002 songwriter of the year award from The Martin International Awards. Sanchez most recent achievements are: An Award from Authentic Real Music in recognition of Sanchez's 20th year in Reggae Music. Award from Sanchez's UK Fan Club, for being an excelent Reggae ambassador to the world. A Crest of the Township of Harrow, City of London, presented by the Mayor. Receving a Proclamation and the keys to the city of Hartford, Connecticut, March 5th 2004. Presented by Jamaican born Vice Mayor Veronica Aird-Wilson, on behalf of the Mayor Hon. Eddie Perez. (See awards and Proclamation below) On November 15, 2003 he was inducted in the International Gospel Hall of Fame and received the Governor's Cup for excellence at the Cairbbean American Gospel awards CAGA. The presentation was made by U.S. Congressman Kenrick Meeks and popular Jamaican businessman Roy Bramwell of Florida. Previously the city of Lauderhill, Florida, rolled out the red carpet on Saturday night 5th, Feb.2000, in a ceremony presided over by the deputy mayor, Wally Alfers who awarded honorary citizenship to Kevin "Sanchez" Jackson and his wife Monica. the investiture was spearheaded by Chester McCollough, as part of Black History Month. Other accolades he has received are the International World for Lovers Rock 2000, Ambassador for Reggae. The 1999 Reggae Soca Awards for the gospel song, Amazing Grace. He has been four time consecutive winner (1990-1994) of the best dress male artist, Rockers Award competition. All his clothes are designed my Monica Jackson. In his earlier days, Sanchez was labeled as the singer who does too many covers; yet by the same token, he was simultaneously acknowledged as a special singer who received much international fame and recognition from doing these same covers. Sanchez explains, "Most times Jamaican producers are more willing to record songs that people are familiar with. I was able to break that cycle when I began recording original songs. My fans stimulated me to write because the critics used to question my writing ability, so over the years I have been writing a lot. The first original hit I wrote was 'Brown Eyes,' for the Shocking Vibes label, it went to # 1 on the Jamaican charts and did very well overseas. Some of the other hits I wrote are 'I Cant Wait,' 'Never Dis The Man,' 'Praise Him" 'Leave Out A Babylon,' and of course ‘Frenzy’. Nuff respect to Fitz Livermore, my guitarist and songwriter, who composed most of my other originals. I want to big up the other members of my backing band, Chronic, they are, Oswald “IG Gordon on Bass, Courtney 'Bubbla' Edwards, Keyboards and Joslyn “King Speckle” McKenzie on drums.” A well seasoned group; Sanchez deals with his band in a professional and considerate manner and the result is like clockwork on stage. In over 18 years of his career, Sanchez has come a long way from his first performance at a school concert at Waterford Secondary backed by the Sagittarius band. It was then that bandleader, bassist/vocalist, Derrick Barnett told Sanchez that he had a good voice and invited him to come by where they used to rehearse. Sanchez is appreciative of how things have unfolded from the encouragement received from Derrick Barnett. Today, Sanchez is savoring a tight-knit family. One of the biggest supports to his well-being comes from his wife, Monica Jackson and their children Christopher, Kevin (Jr.), Annastacia, Keviann and Krysann. Since February 1995, Sanmonik Productions has managed Sanchez, which is headed by his wife. As she pointed out, "since I have been at the helm of managing his affairs, he has had a heavy schedule planned every year including tours and studio recording.” To date, Sanchez has released 28 albums and over 70 singles and has toured extensively throughout Europe, the USA, the Caribbean and Japan. He is presently planning on going to Australia and Africa and is poised for great things there, particularly in Zambia." His latest releases are the new lovers rock album 'No More Heartache' featuring tracks such as, 'This Heart', 'You make my Day' and a cover of 'He Aint Heavy', plus reality songs like 'Gun Town' and 'Love And Unity'; following on the heels of his second gospel album called ‘He’s Got The Power,’ which was preceded by the secular album "Stays On My Mind" featuring the hit single "Frenzy." A man with a mission, who loves cooking, fashion designing and music collection. Sanchez has a serene attitude towards life. When asked about his most inspirational artist, he replied, "We can't get better than Bob Marley, the one who pave the way. However, the artists whose songs I used to sing and tried to sound like them are Brook Benton, Sam Cook, and Tom Jones. And groups like the Temptations, the O’Jays, the Manhattans, Delfonics and The Dells." On the topic of the different artists he has worked with, Sanchez said "Well, in the studio I have recorded many combinations with different singers like Marcia Griffiths, Chevelle Franklyn, Nadine Sutherland, Wayne Wonder, Bounty Killa, Florigan, Macka B, King Sound, Beenie Man, Sweetie Irie and more. While on stage, I have been billed with all the leading reggae singers at different times and have shared the stage on occasion with The Mighty Sparrow, Peebo Bryson, Ray Charles, The Manhattans, the Delfonics, the Dells, Donel Jones and Santana and it was everything I expected. How does he feel about working in the studio as opposed to working on stage? "Well it's totally different because working in the studio things have to be correct, you are relaxed because you can do it over if needs be. Before you go on stage you still get a little chill here and there and feel shy because you are human. On stage if you lose track, you still have to continue, but people hardly hear it because they are singing along with you. When asked about his most memorable stage experience, he smiled and said. "The most exciting time in Jamaica was Reggae Sunsplash 1989. I got five encores but did not return for the final one. And for overseas it was at the Humingburg Complex in Birmingham England, 1990. Sanchez was equally passionate when he described his most disappointing experience. "It is to go to a venue or to be in your hotel, ready to go, only to hear that the show is postponed or canceled and you had built yourself up for that moment” he sighed. Fully engrossed in his music Sanchez is practicing to play several instruments. “I play drums, a little rhythm guitar, piano and bass. I have some rhythms that I made. I am completing an album called Sanchez Raw, you can look out for that, and I played all the instruments and did all the voicing.” He continued, “My aim right now is to try to produce some young talents who has no one to help them. Sanmonik production is working with some upcoming artists. We need to keep the music real, clean, and positive, break it down for the kids and to practice what we preach. Solo * Sanchez (1987) VP Records * Loneliness (1988) Techniques Records * Number One (1989) RAS * In Fine Style (1990) VP Records * I Can't Wait (1991) VP Records * Bring Back the Love (1992) VP Records * Tell it Like it is (1993) VP Records * Missing You (1994) VP Records * Here I Am (1995) VP Records * Brown Eye Girl (1995) VP Records * Praise Him (1995) VP Records * The Golden Voice of Reggae (1997) World Records * One in the Million: The Best of Sanchez (1997) VP Records * Perilous Time (1998) Artists Only? Records * Who is this Man (1999) VP Records * True Identity (1999) VP Records * Simply Being Me (2000) VP Records * Songs From The Heart (2000) Artists Only? Records * Back At One: Best of Sanchez (2000) VP Records * Stays On My Mind (2002) VP Records * He's Got the Power (2003) VP Records * No More Heartaches (2003) VP Records * Now & Forever (2010) VP Records

Runtime: 3m:40s

Mr Vegas & Sean Paul - Hot Gal

Mr. Vegas (born Clifford Smith on December 29, 1974 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican dancehall star./nSmith was born in Kingston in 1974. The moniker \"Mr. Vegas\" was given to Smith by his schoolyard football-mates, who thought that he kicked the ball like a Las Vegas dancer. In his early years as a singjay, Vegas sang covers of Jamaican hits at local parties and shows, and acquired a reputation as a troublemaker. During a scuffle over stolen master tapes, Vegas was hit in the face with a crowbar and had his jaw wired shut for six weeks. Vegas claims that, after hearing Beenie Man\'s hit \"Who Am I\", he immediately demanded that his still-healing jaw be unwired, changing his speech pattern but allowing him to practice toasting./nHe found fame in 1998 with hits such as \"Yu Sure\", \"Jack It Up\", and \"Latest News\".For his first major hit, Vegas played off of \"Who Am I\" to create \"Nike Air\", which became a huge hit in Jamaica. The next single, \"Heads High\", followed its success in Jamaica with a chart run in the UK and a #69 peak on the US R&B chart, and Vegas became increasingly in demand as a guest artist by acts such as Sean Paul./nIn 1998 his debut album, Heads High, was released, which hit #5 on the US Reggae chart. Vegas won a MOBO for Best Reggae Artist for the Heads High album as well. 2000\'s single \"Hot Gal Today\" was a minor hit on the US R&B charts, peaking at #66. In 2001, he issued Damn Right, featuring guest appearances from Shaggy and Big Yard; this album went to #2 on the US Reggae chart. 2004 saw the release of the Pull Up LP, and the title track scraped the bottom of the Billboard Top 200, peaking at #98 (as well as #68 on the R&B chart). In 2006 he did a Soca collaboration with Machel Montano from Trinidad and Tobago Dance With You on Machel\'s B.O.D.Y. album. His latest, 2007\'s Hot It Up, features the Jamaican hits \"Hot Wuk\", \"Taxi Fare\" and \"Tek Weh Yuhself\". In 2008 Mr.Vegas also recorded a Soca groovy-song title \'On The Floor\' with Trinidadian artiste Destra Garcia on her album Soca Or Die./nIn September 2008, Smith announced that he was retiring from the music business, citing unhappiness with his work and a desire to spend more time with his children and be \"closer to God Almighty\". Although he had been suffering from ill-health for some time, he denied that this was a factor in his retirement.

Runtime: 3m:8s

The Hate Game - Robert Wagemann For Holocaut Memorial Day 200

The Hate Game The short film for Holocaust Memorial Day 2009 looks at the consequences of hatred from the Holocaust to today. The film is styled on popular video games and tells, through a series of 6 short films, the stories of people who have faced hatred and the consequences of hatred. All of the stories are based on factual events and highlight how committing acts of hatred or being a bystander to hatred relies on individual choices. The film is a mixture of animation and live action and is deliberately hard-hitting and thought-provoking. While the film may look and sound like a game we learn throughout it that the events depicted are not amusing nor are they games. At the end of each sequence the game begins to “break down” through glitches in the animation signalling that events we have seen are not actually part of a fictional game but are real-life events which have impacted on the lives of individuals. Please note that due to a moderate element of strong language and one violent scene this film is not suitable for primary school pupils. Please ensure that you watch the film before showing in a school or community setting. Suitable questions for use in schools, youth groups or adult discussion groups are included in this guidance. The DVD can either be viewed as one complete film or each level can be shown separately with the stories that have been featured discussed. You may find it helpful to view the film in shorter segments in order to maintain interest and to ensure that the individual stories are absorbed. Level 1: Kristallnacht The animated sequence shows a German woman leaving her house on the morning of 10 November 1938. Smoke is still rising from the ruins of the Synagogue, Jewish homes and businesses which have been destroyed. The woman approaches a young boy who is sweeping up outside a shop and who asks for help as his father has been taken away. The woman is offered the choice of helping or turning away. This level is based on the events of Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass) – 9/10 November 1938 where Jewish shops, places of worship and homes across Germany and Austria were attacked in a co-ordinated campaign by the Nazis. More than 200 synagogues were destroyed and thousands of homes and businesses were ransacked. 92 Jews were murdered and approximately 30,000 were arrested and deported to concentration camps. This is the only film which does not feature an end voiceover by an individual connected to the specific story. Level 2: Robert Wagemann The animated sequence shows a young disabled boy being taken by his mother to a doctor’s surgery in the Third Reich. The mother hears the doctor threatening to send her son to sleep due to his disability – she chooses to take her child and run. This level tells the story of Robert Wagemann a disabled boy who escaped the Nazi euthanasia programme. The T4 euthanasia programme targeted adults and children with mental and physical disabilities and ran from 1939 to 1941 when public outrage brought about the end of the programme. Physicians continued to kill the disabled after 1941 and it is estimated that over quarter of a million disabled people were murdered by the Nazis. Robert Wagemann, the boy whose story is depicted, now lives in the United States and provides the final voiceover for this film. Level 3: Racist Hate Crime The animated film starts with two young men at a bus stop choosing which bus they must get to arrive home on time. In a shocking sequence which includes the use of hate language we see one of the young men being attacked by a gang of youths and being urged to run away by his friend. By the end of the film his heart monitor has very little life left and the screen has gone black. The live action film shows Doreen Lawrence OBE explaining that this is the story of her son Stephen who was murdered in a racist attack in 1994. Level 4: Homophobic Hatred The animated film shows a confrontation between two men after one of the men has made homophobic remarks about the other. The gay character defends himself and asks why he is being abused for being gay. Victim of homophobic abuse Lee Duncan explains in the live action sequence that he suffered abuse from a neighbour for 18 months before challenging it. He advises that anyone facing abuse or harassment should report it to the police. Level 5: Islamophobia The animation depicts an event at a school parents’ evening where a Muslim mother wearing Islamic dress with full face veil was asked to leave for security reasons. Despite offering to prove her identity to a female member of staff the woman was refused entry to the school. This is a depiction of a recent event in Lancashire when a Muslim mother encountered hostility and prejudice when she wanted to enrol her son at the local Roman Catholic Primary School; however the woman involved was keen to keep her anonymity. Anjum Anwar, Dialogue Development Officer of Blackburn Cathedral, expresses the sentiment that failing to respect different religions and customs will lead to communities becoming isolated. Level 6: Anti-semitic hate crime We view this film from the point of view of an elderly woman walking along a street. She encounters two girls verbally and physically attacking a younger Jewish girl. The old lady is given the choice of intervening in the attack or not. Gabriella Soffer, a young Jewish girl, was attacked in the street in summer 2008. Only one old lady intervened while other adults stood by. Gabriella calls on us all to reject racial and religious hatred. Discussion Questions Suggestions for follow up discussion with older secondary students In each level of the film “players” have to make a decision based on two alternative choices. Examine the choices for each scene and ask: 1. Do you think the character made the right decision? Try to give reasons for your answer. 2. How do you think the scene might have ended had the character made the alternative choice? 3. The characters are offered two choices in each scene. What additional actions, if any, could be taken? Level 1: Kristallnacht 1. What evidence is there that the woman was known to the boy and what do you think he hoped the woman would do? 2. Why do you think most people stood by and did nothing once the Nazi state began its campaign of hatred? Level 2: Robert Wagemann 1. We overhear the nurse giving the doctor two possible reasons to end the child’s life, what are they? 2. How was it possible for people trained to save life to become involved in the T4 euthanasia programme? Level 3: Racist Hate Crime 1. How can we tell that the attack on the young man springs from prejudice and hatred? 2. What does Doreen Lawrence believe led directly to her son’s death. What does she ask all people to do? Level 4: Homophobic Hatred 1. What led to the confrontation between the two men? What part does the young woman play in the scene? 2. How long did it take Lee Duncan to challenge his abuser and why do you think it took him so long to act? Level 5: Islamophobia 1. Other than listening to what she says how can we tell that the teacher is hostile towards the Muslim woman? What excuses are offered for telling the woman to leave the school premises? 2. Anjum Anwar suggests that there are things everyone can do to create a better world. What advice does she give us? Level 6: Anti-semitic hate crime 1. We witness a verbal and physical attack on a young girl. How can we tell that this has sprung from anti-semitism? 2. What surprised Gabriella when the old lady intervened and helped her? What is Gabriella’s message to all of us on HMD09? The key message of the film is that acts of hatred always involve a choice and that we all have the choice and the responsibility to Stand up to Hatred.

Runtime: 2m:8s

Britney Spears - Womanizer

Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American pop singer and entertainer. Born in Mississippi and raised in Louisiana, Spears first appeared on national television in 1992 as a contestant on the Star Search program. At age 12 she performed as a cast member in Disney Channel's television series The All New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993 to 1994. In 1997, Spears signed a recording contract with Jive, which would lead to the release of her debut album ...Baby One More Time in 1999. The album peaked at number one in Billboard 200 and has since sold over 25 million copies worldwide. Her success continued with the release of her second studio album, Oops!... I Did It Again in 2000, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. The release of her first 2 albums established her as a pop icon and is credited for influencing the revival of teen pop in the late 1990s./nIn 2001, she released her third studio album Britney and played as the starring role in the film Crossroads. She assumed creative control of her fourth studio album, In the Zone released in 2003, which made her the only female artist of the Nielsen Soundscan era to have her first four albums debut at number one. After the release of her first greatest hits album Greatest Hits: My Prerogative , Spears experienced personal struggles and her career went under hiatus. This was until her fifth studio album, Blackout was released in 2007. Her sixth studio album, Circus was released in 2008, and also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart with the hit single "Womanizer" which became Spears second single to peaked at number one in Billboard Hot 100 since her debut single, nearly 10 years later. In late 2009, Spears released The Singles Collection which includes her third number one hit single in the United States entitled "3"./nAs of late 2007, Spears has sold over 85 million albums worldwide On December 11, 2009 Billboard Magazine named Spears as one of the best selling act of the 2000s, solely based on album sales as well as the 8th overall best act of the decade based on album sales, chart success, and cultural relativity. She is ranked as the eight best-selling female recording artist in the U.S., having sold more than 32 million copies of her albums and all certified by the Recording Industry Association of America. Spears is currently the fifth best-selling artist act of the decade in the country, as well as the top-selling female album artist. Spears is also ranked by Forbes 2009 issue as the 13th most powerful celebrity, and with earnings of over $35 million dollars in 2009, the 2nd-highest earning young musician of the year. Spears made history in the music industry when four of her albums made the Billboards top 20 biggest-opening-week albums of the decade.Early life, The Mickey Mouse Club, career debut, and innosense/nSpears was born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana as a Southern Baptist.Her parents are Lynne Irene (née Bridges), a former elementary school teacher, and Jamie Parnell Spears, a former building contractor and chef. Spears is of English heritage through her maternal grandmother being born in London and distant Maltese descent, with her maternal 2nd great-grandfather Edward Portelli being born in Malta then moving to England where he settled. Spears has two siblings, Bryan and Jamie Lynn. Bryan Spears is married to Jamie-Lynn's manager, Graciella Rivera./nSpears was an accomplished gymnast, attending gymnastics classes until age nine and competing in state-level competitions. She performed in local dance revues and sang in her local Baptist church choir. Spears entered New York City's Professional Performing Arts School when she was eight. Spears's parents would often argue, and they eventually divorced in 2002./nAt age eight, Spears auditioned for the Disney Channel series The New Mickey Mouse Club. Although she was considered too young to join the series at the time, a producer on the show introduced her to a New York City agent. Spears subsequently spent three summers at NYC's Professional Performing Arts School and also appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions. She was an understudy in the 1991 off-Broadway musical Ruthless!. In December 1991, she landed a spot on the popular television show Star Search. She won the first round of competition, but ultimately lost. At age eleven, Spears returned to the Disney Channel for a spot on The New Mickey Mouse Club in Lakeland, Florida. She was featured on the show from 1993 to 1994, until she was 13. After the show ended, Spears returned to Kentwood and attended high school for a year./nIn 1997, Spears briefly joined the all-female pop group innosense. Later that same year, she recorded a solo demo and was signed by Jive Records. She began a U.S. concert tour sponsored by American teen magazines, and eventually became an opening act for 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.Spears released her debut single, "...Baby One More Time", in October 1998 which peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1999 and topped the chart for two weeks.It opened at number-one in the UK Singles Chart selling over 460,000 copies, a record for a female act at the time, and became the top-selling single of 1999 and the 25th most successful song of all time in British chart history with over 1.45 million units sold. Gillian G. Gaar, author of She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll (2002), documented that "eyebrows were raised over the schoolgirl-in-heat persona Spears projected in her [music video for ...Baby One More Time], along with an increasingly revealing series of stage outfits". Spears's debut album ...Baby One More Time peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 in January 1999. Rolling Stone magazine, in a review of the album, wrote: "While several Cherion-crafted kiddie-funk jams serve up beefy hooks, shameless schlock slowies, like E-Mail My Heart, are pure spam". NME commented "[Spears's debut album and its title-track] are the kind of soullessness that saturates Stateside charts and consists of nothing but over-chewed bubblegum beats and saccharine sensibilities". In contrast, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote: "Like many teen pop albums, ...Baby One More Time has its share of well-crafted filler, but the singles, combined with Britney's burgeoning charisma, make this a pretty great piece of fluff".Baby One More Time was later certified fourteen times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, denoting fourteen million units shipped within the United States. Spears posed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in April 1999, shot by photographer David LaChapelle. Geoff Boucher of The Los Angeles Times reported, "there was no mistaking the titillation factor in the recent Spears cover story and accompanying photos in the April 15 issue of Rolling Stone, which sent eyebrows arching throughout the music industry, where several executives half-jokingly called it "child pornography". Gillian G. Gaar reported, "The American Family Association charged that the pictures, which showed Spears in push-up bras and a minuscule pair of shorts with 'Baby' in rhinestones on the bottom, presented a 'disturbing mix of childhood innocence and adult sexuality' and asked that all 'God-loving Americans' boycott stores carrying her albums". More controversy arose when Spears declared that she would "remain a virgin until marriage". This pledge has been questioned due to her apparently sexual relationship with fellow pop singer Justin Timberlake./nOn August 1, 1999, Spears filmed an episode for the teen sitcom, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and performed the song "(You Drive Me) Crazy"; this cameo was a cross-promotion for the film Drive Me Crazy, which starred Sabrina's Melissa Joan Hart and was named after the song. The episode later aired on Friday, September 24, 1999 on ABC. In December 1999, she won four Billboard Music Awards, including Female Artist of the Year. A month later, she received the Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist award at the American Music Awards./nFollowing the success of her previous album, Spears released the album Oops!... I Did It Again in May 2000. It debuted at number one in the U.S. by selling 1,319,193 units during its first week of sales, breaking the SoundScan record for the highest album sales in its debut week by any solo artist.The RIAA awarded the album with a diamond certification with over 10 million copies sold in the U.S.Allmusic gave it awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, saying that the album "has the same combination of sweetly sentimental ballads and endearingly gaudy dance-pop that made "...Baby One More Time."Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5 by noting the album as "fantastic pop cheese" and "Britney's demand for satisfaction is complex, fierce and downright scary." The album's lead single "Oops!... I Did It Again" broke the record for most radio station additions in a single day, and quickly became a top ten hit in the U.S. and other countries. The same year, Spears launched her first world tour, the "Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour". During the tour, she made a stop in New York for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. As part of her performance, she ripped off a black suit to reveal a provocative nude-colored and crystal-adorned outfit that generated much controversy. Spears earned two Billboard Music Awards for Oops!... I Did It Again. 2001–03: Britney, Crossroads, and In the Zone "I'm A Slave 4 U" (2001) Play sound I'm A Slave 4 U saw Britney's transition from bubblegum pop to a more urban pop sound. Problems listening to this file? See media help./nSpears released her third studio album Britney in November 2001. In the album, she assumed some creative control by co-writing five tracks. Britney was also known as the album that Spears combined her originated pop sensibilities with more hip hop and R&B beats. Although not as successful as her previous albums, Britney debuted at number one in the U.S. by selling 745,744 units during its first week. The album's success made her the only female artist in music history to have her first three albums debut at number one. The album fared well with critics such as Allmusic who gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, describing the album's title tracks as being "pivotal moments on Britney Spears's third album, the record where she strives to deepen her persona, making it more adult while still recognizably Britney." In contrast, Rolling Stone said of the album Britney "belabors the obvious: Spears is one month away from entering her twenties and clearly needs to grow up if she's going to bring her fans along." Britney's lead single "I'm a Slave 4 U" peaked at 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it the album's biggest hit. To help promote the album, Spears embarked on the Dream Within a Dream Tour in November 2001. The tour was forced to cut short in Mexico City due to bad weather. With the end to her tour, Spears announced she would take a six month break from her career./nIn early 2002, Spears's four-year relationship with Justin Timberlake ended. His 2002 song "Cry Me a River" and its music video, which featured an actress resembling Spears, caused speculation that Spears had been unfaithful; Timberlake, however, denied that his song was meant to portray her. June 2002 saw the opening of Spears's restaurant, Nyla, in New York City, which served Louisianan and Italian cuisine. However, she was pulled out of the business venture in November as a result of debts and management issues. Nyla officially closed in 2003. In the same year, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst confirmed that he was in a relationship with Spears. Durst was also hired to help write and produce tracks for her album In the Zone, which were eventually scrapped./nSpears had her first starring role in the 2002 film Crossroads, in which she portrayed a high school graduate who travels to find her long-lost mother. The movie was poorly received, as was her performance; Spears received Razzie Awards for Worst Actress and for Worst Original Song. Nonetheless, the film grossed over $60 million worldwide, which was five times its budget. Spears also made cameo appearances in Austin Powers in Goldmember and Longshot. Footage of Spears appeared in the 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, which samples a 2003 CNN interview about the Iraq War in which Spears stated that she thought "we should just trust our president in every decision he makes and should just support that"./nSpears made her third consecutive MTV Video Music Awards performance. While performing "I'm a Slave 4 U", she used caged animals as props and danced with a large albino python draped over her shoulders. Animal-rights organization PETA claimed that the animals featured in the performance were mistreated and cancelled plans for an anti-fur billboard that was to feature Spears. Her career success was highlighted by Forbes magazine in 2002 as Spears was ranked the world's most powerful celebrity, earnings of over $39.2 million . On October 7, 2002, "People Magazine declared that, Spears sold 52 million albums worldwide in the last four years and making between $40 million and $50 million a year as a result. At a performance at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, she appeared with Christina Aguilera performing the song "Like a Virgin", and was later joined by American pop singer Madonna, with whom Spears and Aguilera both locked lips; the incident was highly publicized. Spears performing "Me Against The Music" at the NFL Kickoff Live 2003/nSpears released her fourth studio album In the Zone in November 2003, jettisoning the Max Martin-produced synthpop of her earlier releases. The album took in lesser-known producers such as RedZone and big names including Moby and R. Kelly. Spears co-wrote eight of the album's thirteen songs and co-produced several pieces of her material for the first time. In the Zone reached number one in the U.S. charts during its debut week, selling over 609,000 copies. This made Spears the first female in the Nielsen SoundScan era to have her first four studio albums to debut at number one. The album had a mixed reception from critics. Stylus Magazine gave the album a D and blamed Spears's career choices by stating, "Ultimately, In the Zone suffers greatly from Britney's uneasy transition from teen tart to sexually powerful woman. Had Britney been in charge of her career direction instead of mercilessly prostituted by her management, she might have been able to produce something with some semblance of musical vision." The Guardian praised the album's melodies and her effort, giving it 4 out of 5 stars: "Unlike previous Britney albums, In the Zone has no filler and no shoddy cover versions, just 57 varieties of blue-chip hit-factory pop. There is southern hip-hop, deep house, Neptunes-style R&B, the ubiquitous Diwali beat and, most importantly, oodles of Madonna." The album spawned the hit single "Toxic", winning Spears her first ever Grammy in the category of Best Dance Recording. 2004–2005: Marriages, religion, first child and compilation albums/nSpears married childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander on January 3, 2004, at The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.The marriage lasted 55 hours, ending with an annulment stating that Spears "lacked understanding of her actions to the extent that she was incapable of agreeing to marriage because before entering into the marriage the Plaintiff and Defendant did not know each others' likes and dislikes, each others' desires to have or not have children, and each other's desires as to State of residency"./nMonths after her Las Vegas marriage, Spears embarked on The Onyx Hotel Tour, which was canceled in June after Spears injured her knee during the filming of the video for the single "Outrageous".The tour's choreography generated much controversy and criticism, which was cited inappropriate with the presence of young children in the audience. In September 2004, Spears, although being raised a Baptist, became involved in the Kabbalah Centre through her friendship with Madonna. However, she publicly left the religion in 2006, stating on her website, "I no longer study Kabbalah, my baby is my religion."/nIn July 2004, Spears announced her engagement to Kevin Federline, three months after they met. Federline had recently been in a relationship with actress Shar Jackson, who was eight months pregnant with their second child. These initial stages were chronicled in Spears's first reality show Britney & Kevin: Chaotic, which aired on UPN in May and June 2005. On the night of September 18, Spears married Federline in a surprise, non-denominational ceremony at a residence in Studio City, California, filing legal papers on October 6. After the marriage, Spears announced via her website that she would be taking another career break to start a family. She gave birth to her first child, Sean Preston Federline, nearly one year later, on September 14, 2005 in Santa Monica, California by a scheduled caesarean section./nNovember 2004 saw the release of her first greatest hits collection, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative, which features all of Spears's singles with the exception of "From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart". It also featured three previously unreleased songs: a cover version of American R&B singer Bobby Brown's 1988 hit "My Prerogative", "Do Somethin'", produced by Bloodshy and Avant, with whom she had worked on In The Zone, and "I've Just Begun (Having My Fun)", which was a song originally recorded for Spears's fourth album, In The Zone, but did not make the final cut. By the end of that year, Spears had become one of the best-selling artists in the world./nIn November 2005, Spears released her first remix album, B in the Mix: The Remixes. The album ranged from "...Baby One More Time" to "Toxic". Her new songs "Someday (I Will Understand)" and "And Then We Kiss" were also remixed. B in the Mix: The Remixes had sold a total of 100,000 copies in the USA after 4 years, it was the first album for which Spears didn't receive any RIAA certification. 2006–2007: Second child, personal and professional struggles, and Blackout/nIn 2006, Spears guest-starred on the Will & Grace episode "Buy, Buy Baby" as a closeted lesbian. Spears announced her second pregnancy in May 2006 during an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. She also appeared on Dateline the next month to discuss tabloid rumors about an impending divorce, and motherhood. She addressed an incident which occurred in February when photos revealed her driving with her son unrestrained in her lap, explaining, "I see a bunch of photographers and I’m scared and I want to get out of the situation... They’re coming up on the sides of the car which is a scary situation for me… so I get my baby out of the car and I go home." The month following the televised interview, Spears posed nude for the August 2006 cover of Harper's Bazaar. Just two days before Sean's first birthday, Spears gave birth to her second son, Jayden James Federline on September 12 in Los Angeles. Spears filed for divorce from Federline on November 7, 2006, citing irreconcilable differences and asking for both physical and legal custody of their two children, with visitation rights for Federline. The following day, Federline filed a response to Spears's divorce petition, seeking physical and legal custody of their children. American attorney Laura Wasser was hired to represent Spears in the case. According to a representative for Federline's lawyer, the divorce filing "caught Kevin totally by surprise".The couple reached a global settlement agreement in March 2007 and their divorce was finalized in July. Spears's aunt Sandra Bridges Covington, with whom she had been very close, died of ovarian cancer on January 21, 2007. Spears then stayed in an off-shore drug rehabilitation facility in Antigua for less than 24 hours on February 16. The following night at a hair salon in Tarzana, California she shaved her head with electric clippers. A few days later, she admitted herself to another treatment facility in Malibu. While leaving the facility briefly, she quickly returned on February 22. The previous day, Kevin Federline had requested an emergency hearing regarding the custody of their children but then his attorney announced that Federline asked to cancel the court appearance. No further explanation was given./nThroughout 2007, Spears's behavior received heightened media attention, including attacking a paparazzi vehicle with an umbrella. Spears left the rehabilitation center on March 20 according to her manager, who said she was released after "successfully completing their program." As the legal battle over the custody of their children continued, many members of her entourage have been summoned to testify about her parenting skills. In March 2007, Leonard Pitts, Jr. wrote that in the aftermath of Spears's personal struggles that have become widely publicized, Spears had been reduced to an abstract idea as opposed to being regarded as a real person. "The abstraction is not surprising: Whatever media touch, they objectify... What must it be like to have your marriage and divorce, your relationship with your parents and kids... dissected by millions of strangers who think they know you?" Pitts further commented that fame and fortune do not qualify the media scrutiny Spears has faced, but observed that fact has been overlooked by "our rush to a day of 'reality' television" and "tabloid journalism". Though "[t]here is no reverence, no privacy, [and] nothing held back as sacred", Pitts argues "Britney Jean Spears is not an idea."/nIn May 2007, she produced a mini-tour for the House of Blues just after she left a rehabilitation facility under the name The M+M's; with six shows altogether, she sang live during some lines of her songs. She recorded her next album with producers such as Sean Garrett, J. R. Rotem and Nate "Danja" Hills throughout 2006 and 2007./nIn September 2007, the official findings in Spears's custody battle were announced by the court. She was ordered to undergo random drug and alcohol testing and to attend parenting counseling. Spears and Federline continued to share joint custody of their two children on a conditional basis. A few days later, on August 6, she was officially charged with misdemeanor hit-and-run and driving without a license. If convicted, she could have faced a year in jail. Spears lost physical custody of her children to Federline on October 1, with the court ruling that Federline will keep full custody of the children./nOn October 9, 2007, the Court ordered her to be booked for her alleged hit-and-run of August 6, 2007, and she was booked for the charges by the Los Angeles Police Department on October 15 but was not arrested. "Gimme More" (2007) Play sound First single from Blackout. Problems listening to this file? See media help./nThe release of Spears's fifth album, Blackout, was rescheduled to October 30, 2007 rather than November 13, 2007 due to online leaks. Blackout debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart and the U.S. Billboard 200., making Spears the only female music artist to have her first five albums go to number one and two. It was fairly well received by critics. As of June 2008, there have been 3.1 million digital downloads of the songs and remixes from the album in the United States. Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars. Allmusic also rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling Blackout "coherent and entertaining" and stating that "it holds together better than any of her other records". Blackout's lead single, "Gimme More" leaked on the internet on August 30. The song, which was Spears's first produced by Danja, peaked at number three on Billboard Hot 100 on October 3, making it, at the time, her most successful single in the U.S. since her debut, "...Baby One More Time"./nSpears's highly anticipated performance of "Gimme More" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards attracted worldwide attention which exceeded expectations. It became perhaps the most talked-about televised song and dance routine since Michael Jackson's appearance a quarter century earlier on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever special. Her singing, her dancing and even her wardrobe were all commented on extensively. The BBC stated that "her performance would go down in the history books as being one of the worst to grace the MTV Awards." The single rocketed to worldwide success.[not in citation given] The second single, "Piece of Me", peaked at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart./nIn December 2007, Spears began a relationship with Adnan Ghalib, had been working as a paparazzo, taking photographs of Spears outside her house. Of his relationship with Spears, Ghalib stated, "I think she's a great person.". This relationship lead to speculation Spears was suffering from a form of Stockholm Syndrome in which kidnapping victims feel attached and show sympathy for their captors". New York psychologist, Patricia Saunders, said about Spears: "some of the characteristics of persistent paparazzi are similar to stalkers. And for Britney, she’s looking for any port in a storm. The elements of Stockholm syndrome come from that sense of 'If you can’t beat them, join them'". Stacy Kaiser, a well-known Californian psychotherapist, relationship expert and media personality, stated in the E! channel documentary titled Britney Spears: Price of Fame, that "Britney hands down has to be the most photographed person since Lady Diana". 2008: Conservatorship, custody settlement, and Circus Spears at the album release party of Circus and her 27th birthday party./nOn the evening of January 3, 2008, after not sleeping for over four days, Spears refused to relinquish custody of her children to Federline's representatives. In response, police were called to Spears's home. She was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after she "appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance", though blood tests tested negative for any illicit substances. She was held for psychiatric evaluation for two days. Pending a February 19 hearing, Commissioner Scott Gordon issued an order on January 14 stating that her visitation rights have been suspended indefinitely. On January 31, a court placed Spears under temporary co-conservatorship of her father James Spears and attorney Andrew Wallete, giving them complete control of her assets. As a result of an order placed by her psychiatrist, she was taken to UCLA Medical Center to be put on a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold for the second time that month. On February 1, a restraining order was issued against Sam Lutfi, a prominent figure in Spears's life. She was released from the hospital on February 6, amid speculation that she has bipolar disorder, although medical records are confidential, and no confirmation has been made. Her parents expressed disappointment and concern at the decision to release her. She has regained some visitation rights after coming to an agreement with Federline and his counsel. On July 18, 2008, Spears and Federline reached a custody settlement in which Federline retains sole custody while Spears keeps her visitation rights./nVanessa Grigoriadis reported in "The Tragedy of Britney Spears" (2008), her cover story for Rolling Stone, that "more than any other star today, Britney epitomizes the crucible of fame for the famous: loving it, hating it and never quite being able to stop it from destroying you". Grigoriadis wrote that "every day in L.A., at least a hundred paparazzi, reporters and celebrity-magazine editors dash after her" and that paparazzi estimated Spears generated "up to twenty percent of their coverage for the past year". She further documented that in addition to tabloid journalists, the Associated Press declared that everything Spears does is considered news. "The paparazzi feed the celebrity magazines, which feed the mainstream press, while sources sell their dirtiest material to British tabloids, and then it trickles back to America," wrote Grigoriadis, "She's the canary in the coal mine of our culture, the most vivid representation of the excess of the past decade." "Womanizer" (2008) Play sound First single from Circus, and Spears's second U.S. #1 single. Problems listening to this file? See media help./nIn 2008, Spears guest-starred on CBS's television show How I Met Your Mother playing a receptionist. She received positive reviews for her performance as well as bringing in the series' highest ratings ever. Spears reprised her role in May 2008, leaving the storyline open for a future return./nOn September 7, 2008, Spears opened the MTV Video Music Awards for the third time. Although having not performed, a sketch comedy with Jonah Hill was pre-taped, as well as an introduction speech to the official opening of the show. Spears won Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Video Of The Year for "Piece of Me". On September 15, Jive released a statement announcing the title of her sixth studio album, Circus as well as the first single, "Womanizer". The single was released to radio stations on September 26, and the release date for the album is December 2, Spears's 27th birthday. On October 15, the song made a record-breaking jump to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record set by T.I.'s Live Your Life. It also garnered first-week download sales of 286,000, the biggest opening-week tally by a female artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking digital downloads in 2003. It marked Spears's first number one single on the Hot 100 since her debut, "...Baby One More Time"./nOn October 21, 2008, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Steele declared a mistrial and dismissed the August 2007 driving without a license misdemeanor charges against Spears, who was represented by attorney J. Michael Flanagan. Spears claimed she had a valid Louisiana license and a California permit was not required./nOn November 6, 2008, Spears won two awards at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008, "Album of The Year" for Blackout and "Act of 2008", and despite not being present, two acceptance videos were taped and shown at the show. Circus debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 selling 505,000 copies in its first week. This became Spears's fifth number one album, making her the only act in Nielsen SoundScan history to have four albums debuted with 500,000 copies or more. It is also Spears's second album, the first being ...Baby One More Time, to have charted two top-ten singles as "Circus", the follow up single to the number-one hit "Womanizer", debuted at number three on the Hot 100, making it, at the time, her highest debut on the chart as well as her seventh top ten hit. 2009-2010: Legal matters, The Circus Starring Britney Spears and The Singles Collection Spears performing during her The Circus Starring Britney Spears world tour in 2009./nIn January 2009, Spears and her father obtained a restraining order against the singer's former manager/friend Sam Lutfi, one-time beau Adnan Ghalib, and attorney Jon Eardley—all of whom, court documents claim, have been conspiring to gain control of the pop star's affairs. The restraining order forbids Lutfi and Ghalib from contacting Spears or coming within 250 yards of her, her property or family members./nIn February 2009, Spears achieved further success in solidifying her comeback by having the second single of off her comeback album, "Circus" rise to number one on the Top 40 Radio Chart, making it the first time Spears has achieved back-to-back number one hits on the Top 40 Chart along with her comeback single, "Womanizer". This makes her fifth number one song on the chart, putting her in a tie for second place for most number one Top 40 songs in the Mainstream Top 40's sixteen year history. Mariah Carey is in first place with six number one songs./nIn March, Spears launched her seventh tour to promote the Circus album. The Circus Starring Britney Spears began its run on March 3, 2009 in Spears's home state of Louisiana. Opening night, as well as every following show in North America, sold out. The tour spanned through North America, Europe, and Australia. Spears was accompanied by her children on the tour, and were in her custody for over 50% of the time for the duration of the tour.. The tour ended in November 2009. It garnered positive reception from contemporary critics and became the fifth highest grossing tour of 2009 worldwide./nIn April 2009, Spears declared her support for same-sex marriage to the media, following the controversial incident on Miss USA where contestant Carrie Prejean, representing California, expressed her disapproval of same-sex unions. The message left by Spears on her Twitter page read “Love is love! People should be able to do whatever makes them happy!” After years of absence, Forbes magazine listed Spears as the 13th most powerful celebrity and the second most top-earning young musician as she made $35 million from June 2008 to June 2009. "3" (2009) Play sound Spears's third U.S. #1 single. Problems listening to this file? See media help./nOn November 24 Jive released a greatest hits album, The Singles Collection to honor her 10th anniversary in the music industry. It contained the new single "3" which topped the Billboard 100 making it her 3rd #1 hit on the chart. It also marked the first time in 3 years that a song had debuted directly at #1 on the chart. The album was released in a standard edition, deluxe CD+DVD edition, BoxSet edition, and as a digital download. Musical style and performance Spears performing in 2009's world tour The Circus Starring Britney Spears/nFollowing her debut, Spears was credited with leading the revival of teen pop in the late 1990s. The Daily Yomiuri reported that "[m]usic critics have hailed her as the most gifted teenage pop idol for many years, but Spears has set her sights a little higher-she is aiming for the level of superstardom that has been achieved by Madonna and Janet Jackson." Rolling Stone wrote: "Britney Spears carries on the classic archetype of the rock & roll teen queen, the dungaree doll, the angel baby who just has to make a scene." Rami Yacoub who co-produced Spears's debut album with lyricist Max Martin, commented, "I know from Denniz Pop and Max's previous productions, when we do songs, there's kind of a nasal thing. With N' Sync and the Backstreet Boys, we had to push for that mid-nasal voice. When Britney did that, she got this kind of raspy, sexy voice." Following the release of her debut album, Chuck Taylor of Billboard observed, "Spears has become a consummate performer, with snappy dance moves, a clearly real-albeit young-and funkdified voice ... "(You Drive Me) Crazy", her third single ... demonstrates Spears's own development, proving that the 17-year-old is finding her own vocal personality after so many months of steadfast practice." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic referred to her music as a "blend of infectious, rap-inflected dance-pop and smooth balladry." Spears later commented, "With ...Baby One More Time, I didn't get to show my voice off. The songs were great, but they weren't very challenging"./nOops!...I Did It Again and subsequent albums saw Spears working with several contemporary R&B producers, leading to "a combination of bubblegum, urban soul, and raga." Her third studio album, Britney derived from the teen pop niche, "[r]hythmically and melodically ... sharper, tougher than what came before. What used to be unabashedly frothy has some disco grit, underpinned by Spears' spunky self-determination that helps sell hooks that are already catchier, by and large, than those that populated her previous two albums." Guy Blackman of The Age wrote that while few would care to listen to an entire Spears album, "[t]he thing about Spears, though, is that her biggest songs, no matter how committee-created or impossibly polished, have always been convincing because of her delivery, her commitment and her presence. For her mostly teenage fans, Spears expresses perfectly the conflicting urges of adolescence, the tension between chastity and sexual experience, between hedonism and responsibility, between confidence and vulnerability."/nHer vocal ability has also been criticized, often drawing unfavorable comparison to her pop rival, Christina Aguilera Critic Allan Raible derides her overdependence in Circus on digital effects and the robotic effect it creates. "She’s never been a strong vocalist..." writes Raible, "Could she handle these songs with stripped down arrangements and no vocal effects? More importantly, would anyone want to hear her attempt such a performance? Does it matter? No. The focus is still image over substance." Her image and persona are also often contrasted to Christina Aguilera. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly observed "Christina Aguilera may flash skin and belly button, but in her music and manner, she's too eager not to offend — she's a good girl pretending to be bad. Spears, however, comes across as a bad girl acting good ... Spears' artificial-sweetener voice is much less interesting than the settings, yet that blandness is actually a relief compared with Aguilera's numbing vocal gymnastics. In contrast, Allmusic comments: "Like her peer Christina Aguilera, Britney equates maturity with transparent sexuality and the pounding sounds of nightclubs ... Where Christina comes across like a natural-born skank, Britney is the girl next door cutting loose at college, drinking and smoking and dancing and sexing just a little too recklessly, since this is the first time she can indulge herself. Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine notes, "The disparity between Aguilera and Spears can't be measured solely by the timbre and octave range of their voices ... [Aguilera's] popularity has never reached the fever pitch of Britney's./nLike other dance-oriented pop stars, it has been widely reported that Spears lip-syncs in concert. Author Gary Giddins wrote in his book Natural selection: Gary Giddins on comedy, film, music, and books (2006) that "among many other performers accused of moving their lips while a machine does the labor are Britney Spears, Luciano Pavarotti, Shania Twain, Beyoncé, and Madonna." Rashod D. Ollison of The Baltimore Sun observes: "Many pop stars ... feel they have no choice but to seek vocal enhancement. Since the advent of MTV and other video music channels, pop audiences have been fed elaborate videos thick with jaw-dropping effects, awesome choreography, fabulous clothes, marvelous bodies. And the same level of perfection is expected to extend beyond the video set to the concert stage. So if Britney Spears, Janet Jackson or Madonna sounds shrill and flat without a backing track, fans won't pay up to $300 for a concert ticket." Giddins adds, "it was reported Britney Spears fans prefer her to lip-sync—despite her denials of doing so (contradicted by her own director)—because they expect flawless digitalization when they pay serious money for a concert." In Australia, NSW Fair Trading Minister Virginia Judge has advised disclaimers be printed on any ticket for concerts which contain any prerecorded vocals. She commented: "There could have been some instances where people actually go and purchase a ticket thinking that they're going to have a live performance ... for some people that means that everything is live, it's fresh, it happens instantaneously, it's not something that's been pre-recorded. You want to make sure that they're actually paying for what they think they're getting." Noting on the prevalence of lip-syncing, Los Angeles Daily News reported "in the context of a Britney Spears concert, does it really matter? Like a Vegas revue show, you don't go to hear the music, you go for the somewhat-ridiculous spectacle of it all". Similarly, Aline Mendelsohn of the Orlando Sentinel remarked: "Let's get one thing straight: A Britney Spears concert is not about the music ... you have to remember that it's about the sight, not the sound." Critic Glenn Gamboa comments her concert tours are "like her life—a massive money-making venture designed to play up her talents and distract from her shortcomings with a mix of techno-tinged sex appeal and disco-flavored flash. And, like her life, it is, more or less, a success. Influences/nThroughout her career, Spears has drawn frequent comparisons to Madonna and Janet Jackson, in terms of vocals, choreography and stage presence, citing both as influences in her work. She has also named Michael Jackson as a source of inspiration." According to Spears: "I know when I was younger, I looked up to people. like, you know, Janet Jackson and Madonna. And they were major inspirations for me. But I also had my own identity and I knew who I was, you know." In the 2002 book Madonnastyle by Carol Clerk, she is quoted saying: "I have been a huge fan of Madonna since I was a little girl. I would really, really like to be a legend like Madonna.Her choreography definitely opened the door for girls to go in there and do their own thing"./nMany critics have argued that Spears should not be considered in the same league of talent as Jackson or Madonna. Journalists Erika Montalvo and Jackie Sheppard of the Rocky Mountain Collegian observed "[s]ome may argue that Spears is not only a good recording artist but also an important cultural icon." However, in examining her level of skill as an artist, it is questioned that "[a]lthough she has been classified among female elites such as Janet Jackson and Madonna, what does Ms. Spears really have in common with these divas of rock?" Joan Anderman of the Boston Globe remarked that "[t]hirteen costume changes in 90 minutes won't bless her with Madonna's intelligence or cultural barometer. An army of cutting-edge R&B producers won't supply her with Janet Jackson's sense of humor or sincere smile ... Britney's heroes aren't great singers. But they're real singers. Spears sounds robotic, nearly inhuman, on her records, so processed is her voice by digital pitch-shifters and synthesizers."/nReporter Ed Bumgardner commented her transition from teen pop start to adult sex symbol with her third studio album Britney "takes its cues from two other successful performers—Madonna and Janet Jackson—both of whom she brazenly rips off and both of whom, like Spears, are passable singers, at best." Critic Shane Harrison wrote: "From the minimalist thump and "Nasty" feel of "I'm a Slave 4 U" to the scattered quotes in "Boys," [Britney] feels like [Spears's] attempt at 'Control'." Citing Jackson's resolve to incorporate personal and social issues into her work and Madonna's ability to constantly redefine the boundaries of socially acceptable material in the industry, Spears's catalog ultimately pales in comparison, because "[w]hile Jackson and Madonna wrote their own music about subjects of importance, [Spears's] music sounds like an upbeat version of either, 'I want to grow up but the media won't let me,' or 'Here kitty, kitty, I'm wearing my underwear outside of my leather pants'-type ballads." In contrast, Guy Blackman argues that although "no one would argue that Spears is some kind of pioneering pop auteur, there’s still a lot to like about her back catalogue. During her world-conquering peak, she was just about as cutting edge as you could get in the world of global pop superstardom. Spears didn’t just work with big names, she gave big names their names, and maintained her high currency in the world’s most fickle industry for years, when most aspiring starlets are lucky to manage months."/nMadonna's respect for Spears has also been a subject of observation. Santiago Fouz-Hernández and Freya Jarman-Ivens, authors of Madonna's drowned worlds: new approaches to her cultural transformations, 1983-2003 (2004) note that the most well known cross-generational relationship exists between Spears and Madonna in which "the entertainment newsmedia almost became obsessed with their relationship of mutual admiration." The biographers also report "[s]ome observers of popular culture, however, feel that the comparisons between the two artist are meaningless and fail to recognize Madonna's unique contribution: Madonna was never 'just another pop star' whereas Britney can more easily be seen as a standard manufactured pop act." Legacy Spears's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame/nSpears became an international pop culture icon immediately after launching her recording career. Rolling Stone magazine wrote: "One of the most controversial and successful female vocalists of the 21st century," she "spearheaded the rise of post-millennial teen pop ... Spears early on cultivated a mixture of innocence and experience that broke the bank". She is listed by the Guinness World Records as having the "Best-selling album by a teenage solo artist" for her debut album ...Baby One More Time which sold over thirteen million copies in the United States. Melissa Ruggieri of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported, "She's also marked for being the best-selling teenage artist. Before she turned 20 in 2001, Spears sold more than 37 million albums worldwide". Barbara Ellen of The Observer reported: "Spears is famously one of the 'oldest' teenagers pop has ever produced, almost middle aged in terms of focus and determination. Many 19-year-olds haven't even started working by that age, whereas Britney, a former Mouseketeer, was that most unusual and volatile of American phenomena — a child with a full-time career. While other little girls were putting posters on their walls, Britney was wanting to be the poster on the wall. Whereas other children develop at their own pace, Britney was developing at a pace set by the ferociously competitive American entertainment industry". 'Britney Spears' has been Yahoo!'s most popular search term for the last four consecutive years, seven times in total. Spears was named as Most Searched Person in the Guinness World Records book edition 2007 and 2009./nSpears has also become an major influence among many new artists, including Kristinia DeBarge,Lady Gaga,Little Boots, Taylor Swift, Pixie Lott and Miley Cyrus who has cited Spears as one of her biggest inspirations and has also referenced Spears in her hit song "Party in the U.S.A." Bebo Norman wrote a song about Spears, called "Britney", which was released as a single. Boy band Busted also wrote a song about Spears called "Britney", which was on their debut album. She is also mentioned in P!nk's song "Don't Let Me Get Me". Richard Cheese called Britney Spears "a remarkable recording artist" and also went on to say that she was "versatile" and what the industry calls an "artist". People magazine and MTV reported that October 1, 2008, Bronx's John Philip Sousa Middle School, named their music studio in honor of Britney Spears. Spears herself was present during the ceremony and donated $10,000 dollars to the school's music program./nThe TISM song Thou Shalt Not Britney Spear from the 2001 De RigueurMortis album discusses the situation of a boy declining to have sex with a girlfriend who is keen to do so. Britney Spears is used as the imaginary girlfriend, possibly because of the double-entendre with her name. The track includes a voice very like Spears' repeating "Oh, My God" during the chorus. Products and endorsements Main article: Britney Spears products Curious - Spears's first fragrance/nIn early 2001, Spears signed a multi-million dollar promotional deal with Pepsi that included television commercials, point-of-purchase promotions, and Internet ties between Spears and the company. Britney Spears has earned over US$370 million from her many, multi-million dollar advertisement and endorsement deals all around the World. She has published four books, including A Mother's Gift, and released seven DVDs, including her self-produced 2005 reality series Britney & Kevin: Chaotic. Other Spears products include a doll and a video game. She has the highest-grossing merchandise sales for a solo artist male or female due to her world tours. (male and female). On March 2, 2009 it was announced that Spears would be the new face of Candie's. On April 1, 2009, People magazine released a sneak peek of what the ads will look like. In January 2010, it was announced that Britney would remain the spokesperson for Candies in 2010. The photo shoot entitled "Britney: Through The Lens" was shot by Annie Leibovitz, Mark Seliger, and other photographers. In November 2009, Britney released the "It's Britney" application for the iPhone and iPod touch. It features Twitter and Facebook updates, photo galleries, news, a photo game called "Be Britney's Dancer," a sparkler image that includes a surprise when attending her concerts, and exclusive photos and messages from Britney./nSpears endorsed her first Elizabeth Arden fragrance "Curious" in September, 2004, which had $100 million in sales in the five weeks after its 2004 release, and it broke licenser Elizabeth Arden's record for first-week gross for a perfume and went on to become the number-one fragrance in department stores on 2004. In September 2005, Spears released the fragrance "Fantasy" with Elizabeth Arden, which also saw great success. These were followed by the release of two more fragrances of "Curious:In Control" and "Midnight Fantasy" in 2006. Her next Elizabeth Arden fragrance, "Believe", was released in September 2007. In January, 2008, Spears released "Curious Heart". Spears released a new fragrance entitled "Hidden Fantasy" in January 2009. On March 22, 2009, it was announced that Spears has the #1 selling celebrity fragrance, making up 34% of sales.

Runtime: 3m:45s

LeToya Ft Ludacris - Regret

LeToya Nicole Luckett (born March 11, 1981), known professionally as LeToya, is an American R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She was a member of the R&B female group Destiny's Child, with whom she won two Grammy Awards and released many successful commercial recordings./nAfter signing a record deal with Capitol Records, she pursued a successful solo career. Her solo debut album, LeToya (2006), topped the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart in July 2006 and was certified platinum by the RIAA in December 2006. The single, "Torn", achieved records on BET's top ten countdown show 106 & Park. She was also named "One of the Best New Artists of 2006" by AOL and the "Top Songwriter of 2006" by ASCAP. Luckett released a second solo album Lady Love on August 25th, 2009 which debuted at #12 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and #1 on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.LeToya Nicole Luckett was born on March 11, 1981 in Houston, Texas to parents of African American and Indigenous American descent and grew up singing in her local Brentwood Baptist Church. She also had vocal lessons to become an opera singer. Her father, who was also a singer, was very proud of his daughter's vocal talents and tried to promote her in the music business. Luckett is the eldest of two children; she has a younger brother Gavin. Luckett was given the opportunity to sing her first church solo at the age of five (5). "The lady just gave me the mic one Sunday and I sang", she recalled.[6] Shortly thereafter, she joined the children's choir and began performing in plays at her elementary school. One day, she walked to her desk in class to find a girl sitting in her seat. Luckett asked her teacher to remove the girl from her assigned seat, who turned out to be Beyoncé Knowles. They later became friends, and she was invited to join Latavia's and Beyoncé's singing group.In 1993, LeToya Luckett joined Beyoncé Knowles, LaTavia Roberson, and Kelly Rowland to complete the Houston-based R&B group, Destiny's Child. After being signed and later dropped by Elektra Records, the group eventually signed with Columbia Records in 1997, but not before signing with Mathew Knowles as their official manager. According to the E! Television Special, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Knowles forced the girls to sign with him before they could sign with the label. LeToya's mother requested the contracts be reviewed by an attorney, but Knowles denied the request. However, Luckett eventually signed with him and joined the group./nAfter graduating from the Houston club scene, the group began opening for acts such as Dru Hill, SWV, and Immature, and released their 1998 self-titled debut album Destiny's Child. The album spawned two singles: the platinum "No, No, No Part II" (featuring Wyclef Jean) and "With Me". The group was featured on the Why Do Fools Fall in Love soundtrack with the song "Get on the Bus" (featuring Timbaland), and later toured as an opening act on TLC's "Fanmail Tour" and Christina Aguilera's debut tour./nIn 1999, the group released their second album, The Writing's on the Wall. The album became one of the biggest selling albums released by a female group, and was certified eight times platinum in the USA. The album spawned four hit singles: "Bills, Bills, Bills", "Bug a Boo", "Say My Name" and "Jumpin' Jumpin'". In late 1999, in the midst of the group's rising success, Luckett and Roberson sent a letter to their management stating they wanted their own manager because of the increasing lack of communication from the group's manager Mathew Knowles (who is also Beyoncé Knowles' father). The pair said they never wanted to fire Knowles, but they did want to secure outside management to represent them fairly. Soon after, Luckett and Roberson found themselves on the outs with Knowles family and the group they helped create. When the "Say My Name" music video debuted in February 2000, they were shocked to find themselves replaced by two new members, Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin./nLuckett and Roberson filed a lawsuit against Matthew Knowles, Beyoncé Knowles and Kelly Rowland, charging them with breach of partnership and fiduciary duties, and sought unspecified damages. Luckett and Roberson withdrew the case against Beyoncé and Kelly, but continued to sue Matthew Knowles. The case was eventually settled, with Luckett and Roberson continuing to receive royalties from their contributions as founding members of the group. When it seemed as if the drama had subsided, shortly following the release of Destiny's Child's Survivor, Luckett and Roberson filed another lawsuit against the group in March 2002. They claimed that the album's lead single, "Survivor", violated their previous settlement due to its lyrics, which they believed to reference the ugly split.Life after Destiny's Child/nAfter several months of media speculation, it was announced via the MTV News website that Luckett and Roberson had created a new group called Anjel. After several auditions, Naty Quinones and Tiffany Beaudoin were selected as members. The group recorded a twenty-two-song demo in Atlanta, Georgia, with the help of R&B group Jagged Edge. Their production company (581 Entertainment) which handled the group fell through, and all the members of Anjel went on to pursue solo projects. However, the recorded tracks were leaked onto the internet.LeToya (2004-2007)/nAfter the Anjel project fell through, Luckett joined with Noontime, an Atlanta-based management/production company. Along with Noontime, she recorded a five song demo and eventually signed with Capitol Records in 2003. Soon after, she began working on her debut solo album. The first promotional single, "You Got What I Need", was released in 2004, followed next year by "All Eyes on Me". She featured on "My Promise" with her label mate Houston on his debut album It's Already Written, "What Love Can Do" on the Coach Carter soundtrack, and on "This Is My Life" with former boyfriend and rapper Slim Thug on his album Already Platinum. LeToya's self-titled debut album, was released on July 2006 and debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, outselling the compilation Now That's What I Call Music! and Pharrell Williams's debut album. The album was certified gold after one month and as of December 2006, the album had been certified platinum. Luckett and Beyoncé Knowles are the only members of Destiny's Child to have an album debut at number one on the Billboard 200 and achieve platinum status in the U.S./nWith LeToya being marketed as "The H-Town Chick", the album featured hip-hop inspired R&B production. Producers on the album included Jermaine Dupri, Scott Storch, Teddy Bishop, B. Cox, and musical guests Slim Thug, Mike Jones, Paul Wall, and Bun B. "All Eyes on Me" was originally chosen as LeToya's debut single, but she selected "Torn" instead. She stated she "had to go against the grain" to get that single released, but it proved to be a good move. The ballad (produced by Teddy Bishop and a personal favorite of LeToya's) was released March 2006 and became an R&B hit. The ballad has been compared to Natalie Imbruglia and Mary J. Blige's past hit singles. The song climbed the Billboard charts, peaking at number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and became the number one song on urban radio.Although Torn was still receiving major airplay, her second single, "She Don't", was released to radio and the video premiered on BET's Access Granted in July 2006 featuring LeToya's ex-boyfriend, Slim Thug. The single received moderate success, reaching number seventeen on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart. In November 2006, "Obvious" was selected as the third single. According to Billboard, the song had a 94% chance of becoming a hit, but due to the merger of Capitol Records and Virgin Records, all promotion and money was frozen, therefore the single was never officially released. Luckett was also named "One of the Best New Artists of 2006" by AOL Music, number two on Rap-Up magazines' Top 5 Breakthrough Artists of 2006, and had received multiple nominations from the NAACP, the Soul Train Music Awards, and the Teen Choice Awards./nBET promoted LeToya heavily not only on 106 & Park, The Center, and The Black Carpet, but with a three-part reality series special called The H-Town Chick, which aired from May to July 2006. The series chronicled LeToya's experiences during her summer promotional tour and insight on her life since Destiny's Child. BET also hosted a contest that gave fans the opportunity to decide the final outcome of the "Torn" video. Cingular hosted a Lip-Sync contest that awarded those who best performed "Torn" best in an online submitted video./nIn addition to a nationwide radio tour, club performances, a brief European and Asian tour, LeToya was asked to participate in the 2006 Pantene Total You Tour, the Cingular Live in Concert series, and was personally invited by Mary J. Blige to join her summer tour, The Breakthrough Experience Tour, as her opening act.Lady Love (2008-present) Main article: Lady Love (LeToya album)/nOn July 13, she said in an interview that her album will have a 1980's influence on her songs and during the event, LeToya announced that the album would officially going to be named Lady Love, then she introduced and performed two new songs "Lady Love" and "Don't Let Me Get Away". On December 10, a buzz track, Swagger, that features rappers such as Slim Thug, Killa Kyleon and Bun B leaked onto internet through Luckett's official fansite, surprisingly the song makes a reference of Beyoncé's song, Upgrade U. In 2008 she was featured on Webbie's single "I Miss You" which was a moderate success. She didn't appear in the video due to the fact that she was acting in the nationwide play "Rumors" and as a result wasn't able to make it to the shoot./nLeToya's second solo album was released on August 25, 2009. and debuted at #1 on the Billboard R&B Hip Hop chart. The first single, "Not Anymore", was written by Ne-Yo and was produced by Bei Maejor. It was released on February 3. The music video was released on March 10. The uptempo song "She Ain't Got Sh** On Me" was leaked onto the internet end of March 2009 on several sites including YouTube. Luckett ran a contest online giving fans the chance to choose the follow-up single to “Not Anymore.” Called “The Final Showdown,” the contest gave the option of voting for one of two songs off her sophomore album, Lady Love. “We want the fans to choose between ‘Regret’ and ‘She Ain’t Got Shit On Me,’” LeToya reveals. “So whichever one wins between those two. They’ll both be singles though". "She Ain't Got..." won./n"Regret" was released soon after and became a urban hit reaching #3 on Urban Mediabase. A video was released in November and is currently on 106 And Park. The song peaked at #78 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart (becoming the first single from Lady Love to peak within this chart) and #8 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart./nLeToya revealed via Twitter that she was filming a video for Good To Me - thus confirming it to be the next single. The viral video premiered on the internet on February 12th.Luckett's first role on television was on the WB show "Smart Guy" in 1998 with Destiny's Child. She also had an appearance in the movie "Beverly Hood" in 1999./nSince 2008, LeToya has been acting in plays and movies. LeToya was part of the cast of JD Lawrence's stage play Rumors as the character Michelle. She hit the road from January 31, 2008 to March 2, 2008./nLuckett is starring in the movie Preacher's Kid, which was released in January 2010./nShe is also part of the movie Killers, scheduled for release June 4th, 2010 along with Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl and Tom Selleck.Lady L Boutique/nLuckett is the owner of Lady L Boutique. She originally opened this successful clothing boutique in 2003 in the Uptown Park shopping center in her hometown of Houston, Texas as "Lady Elle Boutique" but renamed it to "Lady L Boutique". The store is an upscale women's boutique. She has opened a second location in The Galleria in Houston, Texas.Philanthropy/nDuring the post first solo album era, Luckett also became involved in philanthropic activity. She has been participating in various events like the "Women in Entertainment Empowerment Summit". She was part of the national tour of the "Hip-Hop Summit Action Network ‘Get Your Money Right’ a Financial Empowerment Summit"./nShe also visits schools to motivate and encourage kids to study, pass classes and to further their education after graduation. She also speaks on the subject of violence and domestic abuse.

Runtime: 4m:16s

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Slave Driver

Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae bands The Wailers (1964–1974) and Bob Marley & The Wailers (1974–1981). Marley remains the most widely known and revered performer of reggae music, and is credited with helping spread both Jamaican music and the Rastafari movement to a worldwide audience. Marley's best known hits include "I Shot the Sheriff", "No Woman, No Cry", "Could You Be Loved", "Stir It Up", "Jamming", "Redemption Song", "One Love" and, together with The Wailers, "Three Little Birds", as well as the posthumous releases "Buffalo Soldier" and "Iron Lion Zion". The compilation album Legend (1984), released three years after his death, is reggae's best-selling album, being 10 times Platinum (Diamond) in the U.S., and selling 20 million copies worldwide. Bob Marley was born in the village of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica as Nesta Robert Marley. A Jamaican passport official would later swap his first and middle names. His father, Norval Sinclair Marley, was a white Jamaican of English descent whose family came from Essex, England. Norval was a captain in the Royal Marines, as well as a plantation overseer, when he married Cedella Booker, an Afro-Jamaican then 18 years old. Norval provided financial support for his wife and child, but seldom saw them, as he was often away on trips. In 1955, when Marley was 10 years old, his father died of a heart attack at age 60. Marley faced questions about his own racial identity throughout his life. He once reflected: I don't have prejudice against meself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't dip on nobody's side. Me don't dip on the black man's side nor the white man's side. Me dip on God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white. Although Marley recognised his mixed ancestry, throughout his life and because of his beliefs, he self-identified as a black African, following the ideas of Pan-African leaders such as Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie. A central theme in Bob Marley's message was the repatriation of black people to Zion, which in his view was Ethiopia, or more generally, Africa. In songs such as "Black Survivor", "Babylon System", and "Blackman Redemption", Marley sings about the struggles of blacks and Africans against oppression from the West or "Babylon". Marley became friends with Neville "Bunny" Livingston (later known as Bunny Wailer), with whom he started to play music. He left school at the age of 14 to make music with Joe Higgs, a local singer and devout Rastafari. At a jam session with Higgs and Livingston, Marley met Peter McIntosh (later known as Peter Tosh), who had similar musical ambitions. In 1962, Marley recorded his first two singles, "Judge Not" and "One Cup of Coffee", with local music producer Leslie Kong. These songs, released on the Beverley's label under the pseudonym of Bobby Martell, attracted little attention. The songs were later re-released on the box set Songs of Freedom, a posthumous collection of Marley's work. In 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith formed a ska and rocksteady group, calling themselves "The Teenagers". They later changed their name to "The Wailing Rudeboys", then to "The Wailing Wailers", at which point they were discovered by record producer Coxsone Dodd, and finally to "The Wailers". By 1966, Braithwaite, Kelso, and Smith had left The Wailers, leaving the core trio of Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh. In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson, and moved near his mother's residence in Wilmington, Delaware in the United States for a short time, during which he worked as a DuPont lab assistant and on the assembly line at a Chrysler plant, under the alias Donald Marley. Though raised in the Catholic tradition, Marley became captivated by Rastafarian beliefs in the 1960s, when away from his mother's influence. Formally converted to Rastafari after returning to Jamaica, Marley began to wear his trademark dreadlocks (see the religion section for more on Marley's religious views). After a conflict with Dodd, Marley and his band teamed up with Lee "Scratch" Perry and his studio band, The Upsetters. Although the alliance lasted less than a year, they recorded what many consider The Wailers' finest work. Marley and Perry split after a dispute regarding the assignment of recording rights, but they would remain friends and work together again. Between 1968 and 1972, Bob and Rita Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer re-cut some old tracks with JAD Records in Kingston and London in an attempt to commercialise The Wailers' sound. Bunny later asserted that these songs "should never be released on an album … they were just demos for record companies to listen to". Also in 1968, Bob and Rita visited the Bronx to see Johnny Nash's songwriter Jimmy Norman. A three-day jam session with Norman and others, including Norman's co-writer Al Pyfrom, resulted in a 24-minute tape of Marley performing several of his own and Norman-Pyfrom's compositions. This tape is, according to Reggae archivist Roger Steffens, rare in that it was influenced by pop rather than reggae, as part of an effort to break Marley into the American charts. According to an article in The New York Times, Marley experimented on the tape with different sounds, adopting a doo-wop style on "Stay With Me" and "the slow love song style of 1960's artists" on "Splish for My Splash". An artist yet to establish himself outside his native Jamaica, Marley lived in Ridgmount Gardens, Camden, London during 1972. The Wailers' first major label album, Catch a Fire, was released worldwide in 1973, and sold well. It was followed later that year by Burnin', which included the songs "Get Up, Stand Up" and "I Shot the Sheriff". Eric Clapton recorded a hit cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" in 1974, raising Marley's international profile. The band was scheduled to open 17 shows for the number one black act in the States, Sly and the Family Stone. After 4 shows, the Wailers were fired because they were more popular than the bands they were opening for. The Wailers broke up in 1974 with each of the three main members pursuing solo careers. The reason for the breakup is shrouded in conjecture; some believe that there were disagreements amongst Bunny, Peter, and Bob concerning performances, while others claim that Bunny and Peter simply preferred solo work. Despite the break-up, Marley continued recording as "Bob Marley & The Wailers". His new backing band included brothers Carlton and Aston "Family Man" Barrett on drums and bass respectively, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson on lead guitar, Tyrone Downie and Earl "Wya" Lindo on keyboards, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on percussion. The "I Threes", consisting of Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and Marley's wife, Rita, provided backing vocals. In 1975, Marley had his international breakthrough with his first hit outside Jamaica, "No Woman, No Cry", from the Natty Dread album. This was followed by his breakthrough album in the United States, Rastaman Vibration (1976), which spent four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. In December 1976, two days before "Smile Jamaica", a free concert organised by the Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley in an attempt to ease tension between two warring political groups, Marley, his wife, and manager Don Taylor were wounded in an assault by unknown gunmen inside Marley's home. Taylor and Marley's wife sustained serious injuries, but later made full recoveries. Bob Marley received minor wounds in the chest and arm. The shooting was thought to have been politically motivated, as many felt the concert was really a support rally for Manley. Nonetheless, the concert proceeded, and an injured Marley performed as scheduled, two days after the attempt. When asked why, Marley responded, "The people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking a day off. How can I?" The members of the group Zap Pow, which had no radical religious or political beliefs, played as Bob Marley's backup band before a festival crowd of 80,000 while members of The Wailers were still missing or in hiding. Marley left Jamaica at the end of 1976, and after a month-long "recovery and writing" sojourn at the site of Chris Blackwell's Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, arrived in England, where he spent two years in self-imposed exile. Whilst there he recorded his Exodus and Kaya albums. Exodus stayed on the British album charts for 56 consecutive weeks. It included four UK hit singles: "Exodus", "Waiting in Vain", "Jamming", and "One Love" (a rendition of Curtis Mayfield's hit, "People Get Ready"). During his time in London, he was arrested and received a conviction for possession of a small quantity of cannabis.[24] In 1978, Marley returned to Jamaica and performed at another political concert, the One Love Peace Concert, again in an effort to calm warring parties. Near the end of the performance, by Marley's request, Michael Manley (leader of then-ruling People's National Party) and his political rival Edward Seaga (leader of the opposing Jamaica Labour Party), joined each other on stage and shook hands. Under the name Bob Marley and the Wailers eleven albums were released, four live albums and seven studio albums. The releases included Babylon by Bus, a double live album with 13 tracks, was released in 1978 to critical acclaim. This album, and specifically the final track "Jamming" with the audience in a frenzy, captured the intensity of Marley's live performances. Survival, a defiant and politically charged album, was released in 1979. Tracks such as "Zimbabwe", "Africa Unite", "Wake Up and Live", and "Survival" reflected Marley's support for the struggles of Africans. His appearance at the Amandla Festival in Boston in July 1979 showed his strong opposition to South African apartheid, which he already had shown in his song "War" in 1976. In early 1980, he was invited to perform at the 17 April celebration of Zimbabwe's Independence Day. Uprising (1980) was Bob Marley's final studio album, and is one of his most religious productions; it included "Redemption Song" and "Forever Loving Jah". Confrontation, released posthumously in 1983, contained unreleased material recorded during Marley's lifetime, including the hit "Buffalo Soldier" and new mixes of singles previously only available in Jamaica. Illness It was at the start of the European tour when Bob injured his toe playing football. In July 1977, Marley was found to have acral lentiginous melanoma, a form of malignant melanoma. Despite his illness, he wished to continue touring and was in the process of scheduling a world tour in 1980. The intention was for Inner Circle to be his opening act on the tour but after their lead singer Jacob Miller died in Jamaica in March 1980 after returning from a scouting mission in South America this was no longer mentioned. The album Uprising was released in May 1980 and the band completed a major tour of Europe, where they played their biggest concert, to a hundred thousand people in Milan. After the tour Marley went to America, where he performed two shows at Madison Square Garden as part of the Uprising Tour. Shortly afterwards, his health deteriorated and he became very ill; the cancer had spread throughout his body. The rest of the tour was canceled and Marley sought treatment at the Bavarian clinic of Josef Issels, where he received a controversial type of cancer therapy partly based on avoidance of certain foods, drinks, and other substances. After fighting the cancer without success for eight months, he boarded a plane for his home in Jamaica. Death and Legacy While flying home from Germany to Jamaica, accepting that he was going to die, Marley's vital functions worsened. After landing in Miami, he was taken to hospital for immediate medical attention. He died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami (now University of Miami Hospital) on the morning of 11 May 1981, at the age of 36. The spread of melanoma to his lungs and brain caused his death. His final words to his son Ziggy were "Money can't buy life". Marley received a state funeral in Jamaica on 21 May 1981, which combined elements of Ethiopian Orthodoxy and Rastafari tradition. He was buried in a chapel near his birthplace with his red Gibson Les Paul (some accounts say it was a Fender Stratocaster ). A month before his death, on April 20, 1981, he had also been awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit. Several months after his death, Jamaica issued a series of postage stamps honouring Bob Marley. In 1994, Marley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 1999 Time magazine chose Bob Marley & The Wailers' Exodus as the greatest album of the 20th century. In 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a feature-length documentary about his life, Rebel Music, won various awards at the Grammys. With contributions from Rita, The Wailers, and Marley's lovers and children, it also tells much of the story in his own words. A statue was inaugurated, next to the national stadium on Arthur Wint Drive in Kingston to commemorate him. In 2006, the State of New York renamed a portion of Church Avenue from Remsen Avenue to East 98th Street in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn "Bob Marley Boulevard" Bob Marley was a member of the Rastafari movement, whose culture was a key element in the development of reggae. Bob Marley became a leading proponent of the Rastafari, taking their music out of the socially deprived areas of Jamaica and onto the international music scene. As observant Rastafari practice Ital, a diet that shuns meat, Marley was a vegetarian. According to his biographers, he affiliated with the Twelve Tribes Mansion. He was in the denomination known as "Tribe of Joseph", because he was born in February (each of the twelve sects being composed of members born in a different month). He signified this in his album liner notes, quoting the portion from Genesis that includes Jacob's blessing to his son Joseph. Marley was baptised by the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Kingston, Jamaica, on 4 November 1980 Wife and children Bob Marley had a number of children: three with his wife Rita, two adopted from Rita's previous relationships, and several others with different women. The Bob Marley official website acknowledges eleven children. Those listed on the official site are: Sharon, born 23 November 1964, to Rita in previous relationship Cedella born 23 August 1967, to Rita David "Ziggy", born 17 October 1968, to Rita Stephen, born 20 April 1972, to Rita Robert "Robbie", born 16 May 1972, to Pat Williams Rohan, born 19 May 1972, to Janet Hunt Karen, born 1973 to Janet Bowen Stephanie, born 17 August 1974; according to Cedella Booker she was the daughter of Rita and a man called Ital with whom Rita had an affair; nonetheless she was acknowledged as Bob's daughter Julian, born 4 June 1975, to Lucy Pounder Ky-Mani, born 26 February 1976, to Anita Belnavis Damian, born 21 July 1978, to Cindy Breakspeare Makeda was born on 30 May 1981, to Yvette Crichton, after Marley's death. lists her as Marley's child, but she is not listed as such on the Bob Marley official website.

Runtime: 4m:15s

Mr Vegas -Tamale

Mr. Vegas (born Clifford Smith on December 29, 1974 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican dancehall star./nSmith was born in Kingston in 1974. The moniker \"Mr. Vegas\" was given to Smith by his schoolyard football-mates, who thought that he kicked the ball like a Las Vegas dancer. In his early years as a singjay, Vegas sang covers of Jamaican hits at local parties and shows, and acquired a reputation as a troublemaker. During a scuffle over stolen master tapes, Vegas was hit in the face with a crowbar and had his jaw wired shut for six weeks. Vegas claims that, after hearing Beenie Man\'s hit \"Who Am I\", he immediately demanded that his still-healing jaw be unwired, changing his speech pattern but allowing him to practice toasting./nHe found fame in 1998 with hits such as \"Yu Sure\", \"Jack It Up\", and \"Latest News\".For his first major hit, Vegas played off of \"Who Am I\" to create \"Nike Air\", which became a huge hit in Jamaica. The next single, \"Heads High\", followed its success in Jamaica with a chart run in the UK and a #69 peak on the US R&B chart, and Vegas became increasingly in demand as a guest artist by acts such as Sean Paul./nIn 1998 his debut album, Heads High, was released, which hit #5 on the US Reggae chart. Vegas won a MOBO for Best Reggae Artist for the Heads High album as well. 2000\'s single \"Hot Gal Today\" was a minor hit on the US R&B charts, peaking at #66. In 2001, he issued Damn Right, featuring guest appearances from Shaggy and Big Yard; this album went to #2 on the US Reggae chart. 2004 saw the release of the Pull Up LP, and the title track scraped the bottom of the Billboard Top 200, peaking at #98 (as well as #68 on the R&B chart). In 2006 he did a Soca collaboration with Machel Montano from Trinidad and Tobago Dance With You on Machel\'s B.O.D.Y. album. His latest, 2007\'s Hot It Up, features the Jamaican hits \"Hot Wuk\", \"Taxi Fare\" and \"Tek Weh Yuhself\". In 2008 Mr.Vegas also recorded a Soca groovy-song title \'On The Floor\' with Trinidadian artiste Destra Garcia on her album Soca Or Die./nIn September 2008, Smith announced that he was retiring from the music business, citing unhappiness with his work and a desire to spend more time with his children and be \"closer to God Almighty\". Although he had been suffering from ill-health for some time, he denied that this was a factor in his retirement. Mr. Vegas Tamale Lyrics: [Intro] Ketch this ketch dah one yah pon yu musical disk just ketch this She's ah she's ah she's ah she's ah [Chorus:] She's a tamale drunk on corvsier She wanna party after the party She wanna private dance with somebody Cause her body gotta a mind of its own ...own..oh oh oh own. Nah nah nah nah na na nanna nana na.... [Repeat] Just the way how she move her body You can tell that shes a tamale Hips moving like a farrrari You can tell that shes a tamale [Verse 1:] As soon as she walked thru the door aha aha And back her thing up on the floor aha aha Its getting hot it's a bout to blow Tell the firetruck to bring the hose Showing off her belly skin Looking sexy with naval ring She don't care whos hating [ Find more Lyrics on http://mp3lyrics.org/9tcy ] She ain't faking shes just doing her thing own ...own..oh oh oh own [repeat] Nah nah nah nah na na nanna nana na.... [Repeat] Just the way how she move her body You can tell that shes a tamale Hips moving like a farrrari You can tell that shes a tamale [Verse 2:] Shes got man gazing Cause shes so hot ...shes blazin' It is so crazy But this girl amaze me Shes such a lady Skin like a new born baby Scent like a garden daisy .. Pum pum fat like the lips of missy.... own..oh oh oh own [repeat] Nah nah nah nah na na nanna nana na.... [Repeat] Just the way how she move her body You can tell that shes a tamale Hips moving like a farrrari You can tell that shes a tamale [Chorus:] She's a tamale drunk on corvsier She wanna party after the party She wanna private dance with somebody Cause her body gotta a mind of its own ...own..oh oh oh own. Lyrics: Tamale, Mr. Vegas [end]

Runtime: 4m:18s

1 Day Movie Part 1 Of 11

A day in the life of a guy from the hood... 1 Day is a high octane caper through a day in the life of an inner city hustler. The film follows Flash whose day gets steadily worse when he finds out he suddenly has to repay a debt to his big head, Angel, and he has to find the money fast. As more and more people get on his case and the clock starts ticking, Flash is pursued by everyone from a rival gang, the police, three irate babymothers and his granny./nEntirely street cast film, the film was shot on location in Birmingham. It features original hip hop and grime tracks - as well as gospel, reggae and spirituals -making it the first ever British hip hop film. While Flash gets robbed, harassed and shot at, the film explores life for many young men in the Afro-Caribbean community which originated the urban music at its heart.

Runtime: 9m:12s

Bruce Black Finally

About Artist On the 13th of August, Bruce Black was born on Long Island, New York. At the age of six, Black first took interest in music after listening to the radio, hearing the layers of vocals, and musical instruments blending together making a beautiful sound through a black box. After he moved to South Carolina, Black sought to expand his knowledge of music by joining the band in middle school. He became a part of Winds section, playing the clarinet and in high school, he became familiar with playing the drums, and later the piano. In his years at South Carolina State University, Bruce became a member of the marching band. As a well known Bongo Brother, their exclusive style won much favor among the people and various colleges across the states because of their exciting performances. By this time, Bruce knew he wanted to move people through music, watching the excitement and life it brought to the crowds, incorporating all he had attained, into producing skills. After college, Black returned to his home of New York where he would observe the blueprint of the music business, such as producing, vocal techniques, presentation, yet remaining true to his own ideas and style. A friend of Black’s helped him obtain the right equipment, to pull all of the sounds, rhythms, and musical arrangements that came to him, playing over and over again in his mind. From his mind, into the recording system, Black did the research himself on how to properly use the equipment and produce his music, keeping a small library of resources along side the equipment. His fascination and hunger to produce would make Bruce a perfectionist when it came to producing tracks, lyrics, and flawless vocals, working days and nights without rest. His leadership, unique and fresh techniques would lead him to start his own record company called, Dark Corna Records. Some of his earlier work can be heard on Soundclick.com, where he reached the number one spot in the R&B charts and Acapella charts with "Thug Love" and his own "Acapella" respectively. His first compilation album from Dark Corna Records, started a buzz among the young audience back in South Carolina, showcasing his flavor of R&B, Hip-Hop, and pure vocals. However, Bruce wanted to focus on the completion his own album, which lead him back to New York, connecting with a few old friends that would help produce a few songs for the album, already entitled, "The Black Book". Completion of the album is expected to be near the middle of March of 2008. Already, tracks such as, "Forever" and "Turn Around" co-produced by Al West, are receiving much approval and praise from thousands of people across the globe. Black is already making his mark via web radio, which gives the underground artist a greater audience to appeal to than just a local station. At Enterprise103, his track "Forever" took the number 2 spot on the Top 15 Chart, just after two months. At QSJ Radio, he was appointed Artist of the Month, a position completely in the hands of listeners all over the world. His harmony and vocal arrangements places him in that exclusive category of an artist like no other. This year, Bruce Black Music will expose a new level of music as Black brings soul back to R&B and Hip-Hop.

Runtime: 4m:25s

Voice Mail - Lets Dance

About Voicemail The biggest unintentional secret in Dancehall Reggae music since SNOW is that the fluid sound you hear on tracks recorded by Voicemail is not the singular range of one singer; but that of a group. Stacked with an abundance of control and timing these three manage to belt out each bar and verse in such harmony that it is easy to be mislead. It truly takes a skilled ear to initially distinguish the different voices. A shared destiny and ambition has bonded these three singers: Craig Jackson, Kevin Blaire and Oniel Edwards together as one group. Performing as a unit for the last 5 years, the three have remained as the final legacy of Voicemail. Quickly recognized for their intro trademark, Youve got mail Voicemail, heyeee as only Craig can deliver; they have been making waves in Jamaica with charting singles such as Weh Di Time and their succession of videos for songs like Gal Hunt, Weddy Time, She Want It Harder, Ready To Party and Wacky Dip in addition to features on the Strip Tease riddim and Klymaxx riddim medley videos. Its their energetic stage performances, that fail to hide the enjoyment shining in their eyes from the pure pleasure of being in front of audiences at key events like: Spring Fest 2004, Sumfest 2004, 2005, Fully Loaded and world wide touring, which is allowing them to win over critical audiences. Like many groups in Jamaica today, the three met up a local talent show. It was there that the foundation of Voicemail began with two additional members: Robert Manning and Leonardo Grant, all committing themselves to a recording career in 1999. However, as the road to achievement is often long and hard the music industry in Jamaica very trying, two of the members eventually moved on; parting the group amicably. However, for remaining three; Craig, Kevin and particularly Oniel Edwards, whose father is a famous Jamaican recording artist and producer; Rupee Edwards, this was never a consideration. By 2003, the trio began to actively record with producers testing the waters without the missing members, their initial lead vocalists. Their first recording was with radio personality and producer Arif Cooper. They laced an R&B fashioned tune Never Really Want To Let You Go with such ease and finesse that if this song was your introduction to Voicemail, you would assume they were strictly an R&B group. However, like for many talented youths from Jamaica, Dancehall Reggae is the heritage, the music and the largest influence. Although the group is notably inclined to R&B, appreciating artists such as Boyz To Men and Jodeci, it was the direct exposure growing up to Wayne Wonder and Sanchez as well as Scare Dem Crew, to which Craigs older brother was a member, which molded their musical direction. Like any group, the three have their distinctly different dynamics. Craig is the mushy one, who is always cuddly, lovable and laid-back. However at the same time, hes the one that they all agree is most miserable and meticulous when it comes to recording. Anything less than perfection is simply not an option! Kevin, a former model is surprisingly the quietest and most unassuming member of the group. He describes himself without airs, for the most part, Im just a happy go lucky person always bouncy and ready for anything. Once you get to Oniel, the baritone voice of the group, its clear he is the leader, the organizer and the unspoken boss. Always an entrepreneur, Oniel had his own business importing and selling goods prior to joining the group. Kevin even shares Hes the man that while we sleep, hes there pon the phone calling this person and that person, setting us up to record and all those things. Hes the man in charge. While the group Voice Mail has become identified with catchy, upbeat and fun dancing anthems, this is not the full spectrum of their catalog, nor is it by any means their limitations. As Kevin expresses, we strive to be full fledge entertainers, entertainment for us is consistent of a variety of things; singing, dancing, acting whatever it takes to keep the audience aware at all times. At the same time our three biggest songs to date are dance songs, so we are going to be associated with that. Its all about entertainment for us at the end of the day. The groups debut album HEY with VP Records is one of the more anticipated releases for Dancehall. The album itself shows diversity with tunes like their fun filled dance party anthems Wacky Dip, Weddy Time and Ready To Party which was forged by working with Danny Champagne of Champagne Records. These recordings signaled the start of a distinctive period of growth in groups recordings and industry relationships. This independent producer actually puts forth more energy in promoting his recordings as demonstrated by the coordination of the video for Weddy Time featuring Delly Ranks as well as the now deceased dancing icon Bogle. Later, thanks to the introduction by Champagne, the group recorded with esteemed Dancehall producer Tony CD Kelly on the Kantana riddim, which allowed them another hit locally titled Fatima and more penetration in international markets. Their special chemistry impressed Robert Livingston and they are featured on his THE RETURN riddim creating a crossover friendly track Jamaican Jiggas. With lyrics that tell a tale understandable by all English-speaking nationals, the song has huge potential. Another album track from the Big Yard Music Group is the recording Playing Games on the Reggae one drop Cry Baby Riddim. This relationship oriented tune has Craig pleading for more quality in the women lining up to be the groups special someones. Doing so much work around the Big Yard studios in Jamaica has afforded Voicemail close relationships with the camps producers. As such, Get On Up from Christopher Birchs Thrilla riddim and the upbeat Crazy from the Gangster Rock riddim have both been popular tunes for the group. Birch also recorded the exclusives Shake Dat Thing, One Wish and Dance Floor which features Teka, for the groups album. Another buzzworthy producer, Don Corleon, whos had a slew of popular hit riddims the last two years, got together with the group to record Bring Your Body Come for the upbeat Sweat riddim. Corleon also laced the group with an exclusive for the album, titled Sweet Thang. The song Get On Up was recorded for Renaissance Crew on the Ice Breaka riddim, after the success of their production on Sean Pauls We Be Burnin, there is high anticipation for another breakaway hit. Back To Basic was done with the production team, The Ballaz, whos biggest international credit to date is the number one hit in France, titled Hey Sexy Wow with Lord Kossity and dancehall singjay Chico. The collection of hot popular singles along with exclusive cuts allows for a comprehensive and jam packed album that takes you on a exploration of the heart, dancefloor, streets and back again. Voicemail are not the ones to look at for controversy. They are focused on quality recordings, not mixing up the pot or going for the shock factor just for the sake of publicity. Their songs portray feel-good vibes and at the same time intelligence. Voicemail is determined to keep moving forward and break into the International market. They have the right discipline, dedication and commitment to their craft. They could very well be the first strictly R&B-fashioned Dancehall group to not only stay together but really make an impact with their debut album: Hey.

Runtime: 4m:57s